Chapter 61

"He's quite afraid of Yanagi-san. There are no particular external injuries... Did you do something to him?"

After finishing the meeting about the upcoming food procurement, I was called to Oda-san's room.

"He" probably refers to the dark-skinned, nose-pierced man who attacked Kaede.

"I thought he was hiding information about the hideout, so I interrogated him again today. During that time, he was constantly worried about Yanagi-san."

"…What do you mean?"

"Well, he was saying something about Yanagi-san not being there, and asking us not to let him see her. It was all very confusing. So I thought maybe you did something to him."

"…I just restrained him and applied a joint lock; I didn't break anything. Was it that painful?"

I tried to play it cool, suppressing my racing heart. I had told him not to say anything about me, but would he really keep quiet about something like that? Or maybe the residue of the "Intimidation" skill I used is gradually wearing off.

Using the skill was one thing, but using "Instant Step" might have been overkill. But in that situation, even the slightest mistake couldn't be tolerated. Telling Kaede to close her eyes was already pushing the limits.

Even if he claimed I used instant teleportation, no one would believe him. They'd probably just think he's crazy.

"By the way, I want to change the subject."

Regardless, I wanted to wrap up this topic quickly. I had something to discuss, and it was convenient that Oda-san called me to his room.

I started talking about what I had been thinking about last night. I pretended to remember a story I had seen online recently and asked if Oda-san knew anything about it.

It seemed Oda-san was unaware of this fact.

"If that's true..."

"Yeah. It's probably not a good idea to gather too many people in the same room. While our shelter isn't in that state, there's still some risk even in two-person rooms."

"That's true. But..."

"Ah... Now that I think about it, why don't we ask him?"

The dark-skinned, nose-pierced man, even if he's just a low-ranking member, was part of that group and likely knows about this. If we can get the information from him, it will increase the credibility of the story.

"…I see. They sound dangerous. They might have committed a few murders. I'll ask him later."

"Thanks."

"He probably wants to be with his friends, and Kaede must be feeling uneasy after what happened to her. If it's true, we need to hear everyone's opinions."

Oda-san sighed, looking troubled, as if he had just taken on more problems. I shrugged and exhaled, agreeing with him.

+++++

The matter of zombification, the reason the base was destroyed.

That wasn't the only thing I had been thinking about since I returned last night.

Back in my room, I was recalling the time I destroyed that enemy group.

I killed people for the first time after returning from the other world to Japan.

I tried to justify my actions by saying things were different in the other world and in Japan, but in the end, I didn't feel as much as I thought I would. I didn't experience the same guilt I felt when I killed someone for the first time in the other world. I just realized that I couldn't go back to the way I was three years ago.

People are people.

Whether in the other world or in Japan, that's the same.

When I knew my enemies were scum from before the pandemic, I didn't feel much about killing them.

But there was one thing that was different from the other world.

They were all afraid of me.

Of course, it's natural to be afraid of someone who can kill you without hesitation.

But it wasn't just that.

"Monster."

Some of them called me that. Even those who didn't say it probably thought it in their hearts.

I didn't care what scum thought of me, but the fact that they saw me that way left a mark on my heart.

I was afraid of how Oda-san, Kaede, Yuki, and everyone else would see me if they knew about my power.

I was hiding my power not just because I didn't want to be used by the government like in the other world or be feared and targeted after the situation was resolved, but now there was another reason.

The terrified eyes they had when they looked at me.

I couldn't get them out of my head.

If everyone looked at me with the same eyes, what would happen to me?

If they called me a monster, just like them.

I decided I had to keep my power hidden.

It's just a matter of not showing it in front of them; there are plenty of ways to do that.

Like when I got out of the car to go get Kaede.

Like when I told Kaede to close her eyes.

I just need to be careful not to overdo it.