Chapter 17

"I'll go every day," I declared, but it seems I won't be able to visit Rōl.

I felt terribly guilty toward Rōl as I read the illustrated guide titled "The Monsters Inhabiting the Basara Forest" while flying at an altitude of 1,000 meters.

To the far west of the town where I live, there is a desert area called the Basara Desert. It takes a full two days of driving to get there.

In the center of the Basara Desert, a lush forest spreads out, surrounded by the vast desert. This is because the environment is suitable for vegetation due to the oasis at the center.

Currently, I was looking down at this scenery from 1,000 meters above. The sound of the helicopter's propellers was unbearably loud. The scorching sunlight beat down. It was so hot that I felt like melting.

Again, I thought about it, not for the first time today. I won't be able to visit Rōl. I really feel terrible about it.

To repeat, I won't be able to visit Rōl.

Because, starting today, I have to survive in the forest below for a month.

Yes, with Sigh.

To explain how I got here, I need to go back a bit in time. It was the night before last, after I received a mysterious email from Sigh.

I couldn't hide my confusion about the mysterious email from Sigh. I couldn't understand what he meant by just writing "Come."

Where?

Why?

All the necessary information was missing.

No, wait.

Could this be a mistake? A wrong number, perhaps. It would be natural to think that he intended to send a brief "Come" to someone who would understand it.

I stopped and typed a reply to the email. I wrote, "You've sent this to the wrong person," and then I reread the message.

This is a bit cold.

I was helped yesterday, so I should add a thank you. It might be a bit odd to say thanks via email, but I can properly thank him when we meet again. But I've never run into Sigh within the organization.

"Sent to the wrong person.

And, though it's a bit awkward via email, thank you for helping me yesterday."

I looked at the message again.

Okay.

Is this good?

I pressed the send button and entered the training room. Immediately, my phone rang again.

The sender was "Sigh."

What a quick reply.

Surprised, I opened the email and read the message.

It just said "Come" again.

"..."

It seems I have to go to Sigh. Since it's the second time, it's probably not a mistake.

A summons from the second-in-command of the organization?

It's a bit scary, but I have no choice but to go.

Since it only says "Come," the other necessary information should be within the realm of guesswork. I don't know why, but if asked where, it's probably Sigh's room.

Where is Sigh's room, though?

The room numbers of the members are not shared like email addresses, so I don't know where Sigh's room is.

I should ask Rōl or someone.

While thinking about this, I ran into the boss as I left the training room.

"Shioto, isn't it?

I'm sorry about what happened yesterday."

The boss apologized as soon as he saw me, and I panicked.

Yesterday's incident refers to the mission.

"No, I'm the one who failed the mission. I'm sorry. It was my fault for holding Rōl back."

"That's not it, but let's put the past behind us."

"Right..."

"Shioto, you're training alone without Rōl. That's impressive."

I haven't started training yet. My training was interrupted by Sigh's email. Right, maybe the boss knows where Sigh is. I should ask.

"I was thinking of starting training now.

...Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"Where is Sigh?"

"Sigh?

You haven't been summoned by him already, have you?"

"Huh? No, I have.

What do you mean by 'already'?"

From his tone, it seems the boss knows something I don't. I told him about the email from Sigh that just said "Come." The boss, suppressing a laugh, replied.

"Sigh is in the cafeteria. I was just talking to him.

He's unusually prompt, isn't he?"

"Why was I summoned?"

"You'll find out when you go. Good luck."

With that, the boss turned and left. What does he mean by "good luck"...

Anyway, I should go to Sigh. I'm a bit nervous.

---

The Anonymus headquarters has a cafeteria as well. This unnecessarily large facility has apparently been renovated again. I've come here a few times with Rōl, but this is my first time alone.

There are quite a few people here.

The Anonymus headquarters has combatants, agents, cooks, cleaners, researchers, and others, so the cafeteria is quite lively.

I looked around for Sigh.

I found him right away.

Sigh was slouching in a single-seat sofa at the back of the cafeteria.

He looked incredibly lethargic, half-opening his eyes to look at me as I entered.

...I should go over.

I felt like I was being rushed, so I hurried over to Sigh. Standing in front of him, I greeted him first.

"Good evening. It's Shioto."

"I know."

I swallowed hard.

What is this oppressive atmosphere?

I was overwhelmed by the presence in front of me. Sigh was sitting there in the same outfit as yesterday.

Is it even called sitting?

He was sitting so shallowly that he was almost lying down. His long black hair was spread out on the back of the sofa.

Now that I look closely, this person is incredibly beautiful...

I've never noticed this before because I've never seen his face up close.

I feel like I'm ruining the moment, but it also adds to his charm.

Not good.

The conversation has stalled at "I know."

First, I should thank him for helping me yesterday.

"Sigh, thank you for helping me yesterday."

"..."

No response. Sigh's heartbeat was slow and steady. The silence continued for a while.

"...So, what's the matter today?"

I couldn't let the silence continue, so I brought up the main topic. Sigh slowly stood up from the sofa. I instinctively braced myself.

Sigh yawned widely, rubbed his eyes, and ran his hand through his hair.

Then his hand trembled.

"Ugh...!?"

Before I knew it, Sigh's fist had hit my stomach, and I lost consciousness.

---

My body was jolted by the movement of the car. When I came to, I was sitting in the passenger seat. The car was driving down a dark street with its headlights on.

I looked out the window, but it was pitch black, and I couldn't see much. Confused and disoriented, I noticed Sigh sitting in the driver's seat. He was driving with half-open, sleepy eyes.

Seeing him, the memory of what happened before I lost consciousness came back to me clearly.

"You're awake."

"What the hell is going on here!"

"Shut up, you're being loud."

I shouted without thinking, but I immediately cowered when Sigh said that.

"Sorry. What's going on here?"

"For the next month, while Rōl is recovering, I'll be taking care of you."

"What!?"

No way!

Sigh is going to take care of me?

Who decided this...? The boss, probably! That's why he looked so knowing...

"If you have complaints, take it up with Hyde. I'm just following orders, so I'll take care of you as I see fit."

"...Really?"

"If you don't like it, you can run away. Though the town is already about 300 kilometers away."

I was speechless.

I've been suddenly dragged into something unbelievable.

Sigh is going to take care of me?

What will he do to me?

And where are we going?

"Where are we going?"

"The Basara Forest."

"The Basara Forest!?"

"Shut up."

"...Sorry."

No way!

The Basara Forest is incredibly far away and is said to be full of dangerous monsters. What are we going there for?

And the suppression ring on my finger is gone...

"We'll be stopping at a few branch bases on the way to the Basara Forest.

After that, we'll use a helicopter.

Also, I threw away the suppression ring. Don't rely on such things."

"Threw it away!?"

What is this guy doing!

"Shut up."

"Sorry."

"Memorize all of this by the time we arrive."

Sigh threw a thick illustrated guide titled "The Monsters Inhabiting the Basara Forest" onto my lap.

"..."

I was speechless again.

"...What are we going to the Basara Forest for?

A material collection mission?"

When I asked, Sigh shook his head lazily before answering.

"I'm going to use this month to make you as strong as possible.

In other words, it will be your training."

And that's how the story connects to the beginning, 38 hours later.