Chapter 30

"I don't know what's going on... but honestly, Otsuka's story doesn't matter."

He still hasn't apologized for punching me, and he hasn't shown any remorse. If it had been two weeks since the survival started, there might have been some room for defense, but it happened right after the transfer. Besides, what's he going to do by hitting classmates? At the very least, he should vent his stress on monsters. Otsuka's punch could probably kill a wallaby.

"Habashi, you were really thrown. If that guy finds out the true nature of Habashi, he'll stab you."

"Ugh... stop it. I don't even want to hear that as a joke."

"Well... it's probably true. He's not just getting supplies; he's hiding the way back! He might even torture Kojima... Otsuka must never find out."

Both of them are talking about terrifying topics, even as jokes. If they keep this up, I'll have to run away. I might even have to go back to Japan. But... it's true that we are hiding the way back. My guilt, which had been fading, is resurfacing.

"So, will you end up reluctantly joining, Ichi?"

"More importantly, how does Taniizumi plan to maintain the barrier?"

"He's probably looking for ways to recover magic power."

Ah, I see. That makes sense. If we focus resources and food on the barrier maintainer, they can spend more time hunting. And we can have Ichi recover our magic power on-site and continue fighting. They're thinking about a lot of things.

"Refusing... is getting harder, isn't it?"

"Um..."

While we were discussing this:

"I'm back."

"Back!"

Ichi and Meguru returned together.

"Welcome back. I was just talking with Shun. It seems we have to join the combat group."

"Yeah... it looks like we have to go into battle."

"Then... hunting is out of the question, right?"

Ichi shook her head.

"Ichi says we should go hunting at night. Can you believe it?"

"Yeah. Everyone, let's do night combat."

"Let's do it... Ichi. Are you aware that you're suggesting something quite reckless?"

Well, we did talk about hunting at night earlier.

"By the way, Kojima, how's the crossbow order coming along?"

"Ah, it should be arriving soon."

I found a way to order it online and placed the order. I had to go through some trouble to receive it without my parents knowing, so I had it delivered at a time when they weren't home.

High school students don't usually use crossbows. Maybe if it's a hobby like hunting, but you need a license for that, right? Still, not many high school students buy crossbows. Buying knives and crowbars from a hardware store is also pretty suspicious.

"So, Ichi, are you serious?"

"Absolutely serious!"

"Then? Will Ichi get her level raised?"

In response to my question, Meguru shook her head unhappily.

"Once she reaches the minimum level, she'll be kicked out of the party and only used for healing when needed."

"No... how thorough are you being?"

Is she really planning to cut down the base group so thoroughly? Isn't that a hassle? Does Taniizumi not understand the concept of base reinforcement? In games, when NPCs at the base are strengthened, the variety of weapons, armor, and items for sale increases.

"It seems that raising Ichi's experience points is a waste."

"...Is she stupid?"

"Well, I think someone in the combat group will raise her level if she's friendly."

We can only hope for that. She uses polite language, is refined, and a bit air-headed, so there might be someone willing to help. Still, I can't imagine Ichi being flirtatious.

"Yeah. I thought that if I could raise my level even a little, I could contribute to everyone."

"But if Ichi collapses, it will be a loss for everyone."

Everyone agreed with my words. Accompanying Taniizumi during the day and fighting with us at night is too much work. Even if her level has increased and she's physically stronger, it's still tough.

"It's fine. If it gets too difficult, Meguru can return here whenever something happens."

"Ah... so the plan is to return to the base for recovery after each battle?"

"Yep."

That's an option. It feels a bit like the treatment of inns in RPGs, which is a bit annoying.

"But is that okay with you, Ichi?"

Shun's words made Ichi nod.

"Thinking about it, I don't think I need to raise my level to heal."

"Wait... if that method exists, wouldn't Meguru use it too?"

"I don't think so. The combat group and I aren't on good terms, and I've already refused. They rely on Ono-kun for movement, and he's always watching the base with千里眼, so it's fine."

Ah... like Shun, Meguru is straightforward with her opinions. Recently, Taniizumi has even started to feel uncomfortable around Meguru. I heard rumors that Taniizumi was targeting Ichi, but from the way he treats her, it doesn't seem like it. I heard he invited her out at night, but maybe he gave up. If he really liked her, he would treat her better.

"Nighttime... I'm worried about unexpected attacks."

Hagizawa said, analyzing the situation with a difficult expression. That's true.

"We need to be more cautious than during the day. We can move far enough that the light from here isn't visible."

After a week of moving through the forest, we are far from the base. Even if they see light in the distant forest, it will take time to reach us, so we can cover it up. Meguru can use the transfer ability during that time.

"By the way, I heard you fought a Will-o'-the-Wisp monster."

Shun showed the monster's remains. What is this coal-like thing?

"This is the material. The monster apparently floats in the air and glows."

"I see. The combat group might mistake us for this monster if they see it."

Shun gave a thumbs up in response to my answer.

"In that case, it might be okay to do night combat."

"Yeah, we just need to earn more points and increase our equipment."

Recently, we've become much better at fighting, which is a good trend.

"By the way, doesn't Taniizumi's group fight at night?"

"Maybe they're too tired from fighting during the day?"

Hagizawa gave a safe answer. That's probably the case.

"The three groups in the combat team are apparently ordered by Taniizumi to fight occasionally. They're collecting materials."

Ah, I remember Taniizumi saying something like that. "I'm going to sleep, so you guys collect the materials."

Well, if that's the case, we should be fine as long as we're cautious.

"My level will reach 10 by tonight, and I'm looking forward to the next expansion."

Indeed, as a result of consistently fighting monsters, my level has been rising steadily. The biggest problem was that we could only fight for 4 to 6 hours a day. Extending our combat time with night battles might be a good idea. We need to think about how to hide the next expansion ability. It depends on the ability, but... it's fine.

"I'm looking forward to it too."

"Meguru, you're already at level 10, right?"

"Yep..."

Over the past three days, Meguru's ability has expanded further. It's a material transfer ability, similar to my transfer.

"S-Sorry, Kojima."

"Don't worry about it."

In addition to the transfer ability she usually uses, she can now send objects to arbitrary locations. The color of the light column is different, so it's easily distinguishable. However, it's different from my transfer in that it can't send objects into a monster's body; they need to be placed in the light column. If the destination is inside a wall, it won't work. If it did, it would be a complete upgrade of my ability.

Recently, she successfully used it as a trap, sending blades into the light to hit monsters. I've been teaching this to Hagizawa too. The problem is that we have to wait for the monsters to come. Moreover, for some reason, it can be detected when used. The success rate is about 20%. In that sense, there are significant differences, but Meguru is still concerned about me.