Chapter 91

(Note) This is my second post of the day.

2

"What are you looking at?"

Seeing the girl in a school uniform crouched by the river, I called out to her.

She turned her face toward me, her gaze having been fixed on something in her hands.

She was a girl with a presence.

Her lustrous black hair reached her waist.

Her figure was slender.

Her somewhat sharp features softened into a gentle impression when she smiled.

However, at the moment, her face bore a somewhat irritated expression.

"Mayashima."

She called my name, and it was Iyanayu... the girl known as "Vajra" in the Colony, a temporary home for the Transferred, who had once lived there.

"It's nothing much."

In a curt tone, Iyanayu replied.

Turning away, she had once been in a relationship where we crossed blades.

The reason her uniform was somewhat worn and dirty was due to that.

However, the remnants of the battle were limited to that.

The injuries she sustained that day from the battle with Takaya Jun, who had turned into a mad beast, had now healed.

Her broken arm, which had been crushed in that battle, had also healed, and in her hand, she held a simple telescope, one that had been made by Rose, one of my familiars, in the past.

"I just found something nostalgic and took a look."

As she spoke, Iyanayu gently laid the telescope on the ground.

In front of her, on the ground, were various items piled up, including a blanket and food.

All of them were wet, damaged, or dirty.

These were all items we had carried during our journey.

They were dirty because they had once been washed away by the river.

We had loaded our travel items onto a car, but that car had been shattered when we repelled Iyanayu, and it had been swept away by the stream along with the collapsed cliff.

Naturally, everything we had loaded on it was lost at that time.

Iyanayu, whose injuries had healed, was running along the river with her pride in her speed to recover the items that had been washed away.

Most of them were lost, but some had been recovered.

The telescope made by Rose, which she had just been holding, was probably one of the items she had recovered.

While her gaze was on the telescope on the ground, Iyanayu spoke.

"I have a friend who likes these kinds of things. I was forced to do some stargazing with a homemade telescope. It's still in my room. It's nostalgic..."

Iyanayu stood up and turned to me.

"Todorin... no. Her name is Kato Mimi, but have you heard of her?"

"Kato...?"

I was taken aback by the sudden name.

The name itself was familiar from somewhere.

However, I couldn't recall it immediately.

"She's one of the Exploration Team, senpai."

Before I could answer, a voice came from another place.

Turning around, I saw Kato-san approaching, her hair in a ponytail swaying.

Her thin arms were white, as she had rolled up her sleeves.

Beside her was Rose, with her gray hair tied in a braid on her back and her face hidden by a mask.

In her doll's arm, she carried wet items.

They were in the process of washing the dirt off the items Iyanayu had recovered in the river.

A little further away, by the riverbank, Gerbera and Kai were washing items noisily.

A combination of an Arachne and an Elf, but to me now, it was a very pastoral scene.

Rose, who had walked up to us, placed the washed items on a mat laid out on the riverbank.

Kato-san hung the fabrics on a clothesline she had prepared, and Rose began to sort the other items.

While continuing her work, Kato-san said,

"The 'Beast of Darkness' Kato Mimi. She was famous in the Colony too. I think she was in the same grade as you, senpai."

"...Ah, that's right."

I recalled it when she mentioned it.

The 'Exploration Team' that protected the Colony... Among the 'Cheaters' who had gained abnormal powers in the transferred world, there were a few who were particularly well-known by their nicknames.

For example, 'Sword of Light' Nakajima Kojiro, 'Absolute Cutting' Hibiya Koji, 'Dragon Man' Jinja Tomoya... and the 'Vajra' Iyanayu in front of me was one of them.

There were few with nicknames.

It feels like a long time ago now, but when I was in the Colony, I had indeed heard the name of the 'Beast of Darkness' Kato Mimi.

"Hmm?"

Just as I nodded in agreement, I felt a nagging doubt.

"What's wrong?"

As I furrowed my brow, Kato-san looked at me with a questioning gaze.

"No, I feel like I heard that name more recently..."

After a few seconds of thought, I recalled it.

"Takaya Jun. That's right. He mentioned Kato's name..."

It was when I challenged him to a battle to rescue Lily, who had been kidnapped.

Takaya Jun, who had received some information from an unknown ability user calling themselves 'The Voice of Heaven' within the Exploration Team, tried to unsettle Kudo, who was cooperating with me.

Kato's name came up then.

I remember that Iyanayu, who was riding Belta in disguise as Kudo, reacted to Kato's name.

I thought they might be acquaintances, but at the time, I didn't have the time to pursue it.

I had forgotten about it after the subsequent battle, but if Kato Mimi was a member of the Exploration Team, her reaction makes sense.

More than that, it seems there was more to it than just being teammates.

"Was Kato a close friend of yours?"

"Yes."

Iyanayu looked at the telescope on the ground.

"That's why I want to ask you, Mayashima. You have some connection with Kudo, right? Why did Takaya mention Todorin's name back then... What happened between Todorin and Kudo? I want to know anything you know."

"Well, that's a bit..."

I understood what Iyanayu wanted to say.

However, it was an impossible request.

"I don't really have a proper relationship with Kudo. We were enemies at Cheria Fort, and this time, we hardly had a chance to talk. I don't know anything in-depth."

"...I see. Then, there's nothing I can do."

Iyanayu clearly looked disappointed.

From her reaction, I asked,

"Hey, Iyanayu. Kato...?"

"She didn't participate in the First Expedition and stayed in the Colony."

The answer was as expected.

"We weren't just leaving the Colony without any thought. Two of the Exploration Team's nickname holders were left in the Colony: 'Beast of Darkness' Todorin and 'Absolute Cutting' Hibiya. With these two, the Colony's defense was supposed to be perfect... or so we thought."

The last part of her statement was vague, as Iyanayu also knew the outcome.

I sighed.

"That 'perfect' was based on the assumption of a monster attack. The Colony collapsed from within, not because of a monster attack."

Ultimately, the stable life in the Colony was maintained by the charisma and leadership of the Exploration Team's leader, Nakajima Kojiro.

There were probably still some anxieties and dissatisfaction even during his time, but his presence suppressed those negative emotions.

So, when he was gone, everything that had been suppressed burst out.

"...Do you hate us?"

To Iyanayu's somewhat timid question, I shook my head.

"Not really. I do have my thoughts, but I don't intend to blame anyone."

Iyanayu looked surprised.

"Really?"

"Yeah. What's done is done, and I don't think the Exploration Team's decision at the time was wrong."

Iyanayu looked puzzled.

"What do you mean?"

"If we had stayed in the depths of the forest, we wouldn't have had a future. On the other hand, it would have been impossible for everyone who had been transferred to travel long distances through the forest. An expedition team would have had to be formed eventually."

I answered matter-of-factly.

"The departure of the First Expedition was indeed the trigger for the Colony's collapse. However, it wasn't the Expedition Team that caused the collapse, but a few of the Cheaters. It wouldn't be fair to criticize them after the fact."

"...You're so rational."

"I did say I have my thoughts."

There were still unresolved emotions.

However, it had been four months since then.

Whether it had been four months or not quite four months varied from person to person, but at least for me, my emotions had settled.

Regarding the Exploration Team, I had more of a desire to avoid any involvement than to complain.

The worst part was that there was an unknown 'Voice of Heaven' among that group.

It was unclear how far the poison of malice had spread.

I hoped that a self-cleaning process would work, but if it failed, I didn't want to be dragged into it.

"Are you going back to the Exploration Team?"

This time, I asked, and Iyanayu nodded.

"Yes, that's the plan. I'm still a bit stiff, but I can move. I need to stop by Serratta before joining the Exploration Team."

"Serratta... with Lewis?"

"Yeah. To be honest, I still don't think Lewis was lying."

Iyanayu narrowed her eyes, which were filled with a strong gaze.

"I believe his indignation was genuine. If he was mistaken, I need to hear him out."

The root of the conflict between Iyanayu and me this time was that a man named Lewis Bird, a subordinate of the MacLaurin Margrave, the largest noble in the southern empire, had told Iyanayu that "Mayashima Takahiro was involved in the attack on Cheria Fort."

I had thought I was deceived by his smooth talk, but perhaps there was some truth to it.

"I plan to leave tomorrow morning."

"You're busy."

"Yeah. But with the 'Voice of Heaven' and everything, I want to get back as soon as possible. Stopping by Serratta will take extra time, and even without that, it took quite a while to treat my injuries."

Currently, among my companions, only Kai can use healing magic.

Kai, an Elf with excellent magical potential, is still only about ten years old, so there are limits to the spells she can use.

With the limited magic that can barely reach the second tier, it took time to treat the injuries, and it took three days for Iyanayu to be able to move properly.

Given her impatient nature, she probably wanted to leave right away.

Yet, she spent a day helping us recover our belongings.

This was a significant change from three days ago when she insisted she couldn't trust me.

I wondered what kind of change in her mindset had occurred...

"Don't worry, I'm not planning to take you back to the empire."

Noticing the change in my expression, Iyanayu put her hand on her hip and said,

"There might be some unknown 'Voice of Heaven' in the Exploration Team... As Mayashima said before, it's understandable that we can't trust each other."

Iyanayu sighed softly.

"Takaya... he was so..."

Perhaps Iyanayu had some thoughts after this incident.

Looking at her worried expression, I spoke.

"...Is it okay about the incident with Mizuhashi Mihoko?"

I wondered if I was asking an unnecessary question.

Perhaps I shouldn't have brought up a sleeping issue.

However, Iyanayu, who had been burning with indignation over the incident, only shook her head lightly in response to my question.

"If she's satisfied, I can't really say anything, can I?"

It seemed she had no intention of saying anything more about it.

However, I honestly didn't understand why she had reached that conclusion.

"Her?"

"...Ah."

She seemed to have noticed something and let out a small voice.

"No, it's nothing. Nothing at all?"

"Nothing? You..."

"Anyway! That's how it is!"

She waved her hands and turned away.

"Then, I'll go again!"

"Hey, Iyanayu..."

I tried to call out to her, but by then, Iyanayu had already run off.

Given that she is 'Vajra,' it was no surprise.

She said she wasn't at her best, but her figure quickly disappeared from sight.

"...What a strange person."

Left behind, I muttered to myself.

"Hmm?"

As I looked around, I saw Kato-san staring in the direction Iyanayu had gone, her brows furrowed in a slightly troubled expression.

"Kato-san, is something wrong?"

"No."

She smiled and shook her head.

"...I didn't think so."

She muttered and stood up.

It seemed she had finished her work while I was talking with Iyanayu.

Rose called out to her.

"I'll take the rest, Mina."

"Sure. Thank you."

Rose picked up the items Iyanayu had left with both arms and walked toward where Gerbera and Kai were washing items and chatting happily.

"Both of you. It's good to be having fun, but if you get too carried away, you might make a mistake. Especially, Gerbera."

"I understand. Don't worry, Rose-sama. I don't make mistakes... oh!"

"Right after you say that, Gerbera..."

"Sorry...!"

It was a lively scene.

Watching the girls' interaction with a smile, I heard the sound of gravel being stepped on.

"Um... senpai."

Looking up, I saw Kato-san approaching.

Her eyes, which seemed to have something to say, were looking up at me.

"What's wrong?"

"It's about Iyanayu-san..."

When I encouraged her, she hesitated a bit before asking,

"Senpai, didn't you dislike Iyanayu-san?"

"...I do dislike her."

My response might have had a slightly puzzled tone.

"What are you saying now?"

I tilted my head.

Seeing my reaction, Kato-san looked frustrated.

"Considering that, you... well, how do I put it..."

She was probably trying to choose her words carefully.

But in the end, Kato-san, being Kato-san, spoke straightforwardly.

"Senpai seems to have a positive attitude toward Iyanayu-san."

"..."

I couldn't immediately respond.

After averting my gaze, I looked back at her.

"...Is that how it seems?"

"Yes."

Kato-san was staring at me intently.

"I see."

Looking down at her, I couldn't help but smile wryly.

It wasn't because I was troubled by an inaccurate statement.

It was the opposite.

This girl really observes people well.

I scratched my head and turned my face in the direction Iyanayu had gone.

"I wasn't lying, you know."

It was the truth.

In the past, I had resolved to not lose the things that were important to me.

That was the best I could do, being as weak as I was.

However, it also meant giving up on many other things.

If I had been as strong as Iyanayu, I might not have had to give up on so many things.

I had that feeling somewhere.

So, I couldn't have positive feelings toward Iyanayu.

But at the same time, there was a different kind of sentiment in me.

"Seeing someone who has everything I gave up on, I can't help but feel something."

"Senpai..."

"That's why I dislike her."

I sighed.

"But at the same time, because it's something I gave up on... I also have the feeling that I want her to continue on that path, to keep going."

Before she came after me, Iyanayu had saved many students from the depths of the forest, stepping into dangerous places for people she had no connection with.

Iyanayu would probably continue to live that way.

It was a way of life that was the complete opposite of mine, who had decided to live without losing the things that were important to me, no matter what.

That's why I couldn't deny the value of her way of life.

What Kato-san had sensitively picked up on was probably this aspect of me.

"What about you, Kato-san?"

"I... I don't like her."

Her clear response was typical of her.

"I see. Well, that's understandable."

I smiled, and Kato-san looked up at me.

Her eyes seemed to be dazzled by something.

She