The next day after the intense battle. In the morning of the fifth day, I woke up in the ruined school building.
"So it"s morning already…"
I wake up while scratching my head. Irregularities… there are none. "Enemy Detection" tells me that there aren"t any monsters nor humans around us. All good. Looking to the side, Ichinose-san and Rikkchan are still asleep. Just looking at them sleep, they look no different from regular girls their age.
"Don"t sleep with your gun…"
Ichinose-san, who is sleeping peacefully, has her sniper rifle firmly on one arm. What"s up with this former school girl who sleeps while hugging her gun? Misfire… shouldn"t happen. The gun doesn"t seem loaded anyways. Apparently, she can make bullets using a skill which consumes MP.
Looking closely, Rikkchan hasn"t let go of her hatchet either. Even though two beautiful girls sleeping while holding hands sounds like yuri, the things they"re holding are too barbaric in comparison.
They"re holding hands in order to share the effect of "Cognitive Impediment". I learned later on that the skill is active even during her sleep if Ichinose-san doesn"t turn it off. As of now, Aka is weakened to the point where it can"t mimic and camouflage all of us. For the sake of safety during the night, it was best to stick together and sleep.
What about me? Well, I slept with my hands on the hem of Ichinose-san"s clothes. Clothing is recognized as part of the body, so there"s no problem. I don"t feel sorry for myself either. Putting Rikkchan aside, Ichinose-san is a wall. There"s no problem. (TN: Kind of confused. Is he saying that Ichinose-san is an airport runway?)
"Guess I don"t have to wake them up just yet…"
After everything that has occurred yesterday, it"s no wonder they"re tired. On the contrary, in terms of being fatigued, I"m supposed to be the most tired but…? Is it because of the potion that I received from Ichinose-san? I"m very well.
"Wan!"
Noticing that I have woken up, Momo comes out from the shadow.
"Good morning, Momo."
"Kuuun."
Different from the two JKs that are sleeping in a barbaric manner, Momo is as cute as ever. As she licks my face, I also stroke her head and body. Oya? Is it just me, or is her fur better than before? This feeling is the best.
"Thank you for guarding us as well, Aka."
"Furu furu."
Next, I turn my attention to Aka who is shaking near Ichinose-san"s feet. Aka shakes as if to say Don"t mind it. Slimes do not require sleep. Even though Aka couldn"t mimic, it helped us by keeping watch through the night in case something abnormal happened. Really, Aka is a good child. When I pick up and hug Aka who has reduced its size, it feels really cool and nice. Hmm, I felt slightly reluctant in the beginning, but since I got used to the feeling, I"m beginning to believe that this may feel almost as good as Momo"s mofumofu.
Oh right.
Before the duo wakes up, I should distribute the points. From yesterday"s battle, my level rose by one and became level 18. I have 20 SP and 10 JP to use. What should I do… After a short period of contemplation, I first increase the level of "Ninja" to level 6 using JP. As a result of "Ninja" rising to level 6, the level of "Ninjutsu", "Throwing", "Enhanced Senses, "Odorless", "Silent Operation", and "Concealment" goes up by one. I preserve the remaining 4 points of JP.
Next up, what should I do using the SP? Right. I raise "Active Physique" to level 5, "Ninjutsu" to level 8, and "Prediction" to level 3. All 20 of the SP have been allocated. The status looks something like this:
Kudou Kazuto
Level 18
HP: 190/190
MP: 45/45
Strength: 142
Endurance: 138
Agility: 318
Dexterity: 288
Magic: 25
Magic Resistance: 25
SP: 0
JP: 4
Professions
Ninja LV6
Hunter LV6
Shadow Master LV5
Unique Skills
Precocious
Profession Enhancement
Skill
Ninjutsu LV 8, Throwing LV 5, Enhanced Senses LV 5, Odorless LV 6, Silent Operation LV6, Concealment LV5, Night Vision LV4, Critical Aim LV5, Attention Cutoff LV7, Appraisal Interruption LV4, Enemy Detection LV7, Telephoto LV3, Agility Reinforcement LV7, Dexterity Reinforcement LV4, Observation LV10, Listening Ear LV4, Shadow Manipulation LV5, Body Strengthening LV10, Active Physique LV5, Swordsmans.h.i.+p LV5, Stress Resistance LV9, Fear Resistance LV9, Poison Resistance LV1, Paralysis Resistance LV2, Virus Resistance LV1, Hear Resistance LV1, Aberration Resistance LV1, HP Auto Recovery LV1, Hostility Detection LV6, Crisis Detection LV9, Escape LV4, Defense Instinct LV1, Item Box LV10, Mail LV2, Concentration LV3, Prediction LV3, Negotiation LV1, Riding LV2
Party Members
Momo
a.s.sa.s.sin Dog LV5
Aka
Fake Slime LV2
Ichinose Natsu
LV23
With "Ninjutsu" leveled up to 8, 2 more ninjutsus become available. How to use them appears on my mind. Hmmm… they"re quite interesting. Until now, most of the ninjutsu were geared towards running away, but these can be utilized in other forms. By using them alongside Aka"s abilities, infiltrating will become easier.
Putting the newfound abilities aside, everyone else also leveled up during the battle yesterday. I mean, Ichinose-san"s level is as high as usual… Level 23… that"s still 5 levels above me. Why doesn"t the difference remain even when I have the unique skill "Precocious"? Whatever, I should prioritize checking my skills.
Yesterday, I acquired the unique skill "Profession Enhancement" while going against the dark wolf. Its effect is likely the enhancement of skills that are related to the user"s professions. I need to a.n.a.lyze the skill in further details. Similar to "Precocious" which provides extra experience and points, I"m sure this unique skill is quite powerful. Also, what the monster tamer said yesterday lingers in my mind.
-I can strengthen those skills you know?
That was what she claimed. If that wasn"t a bluff, the skill should be capable of influencing fellow party members. That being the case, this skill would be a powerful tool which would help in surviving. When Ichinose-san wakes up, I should test it out.
"But then again, if they wake up, we would have to decide on what to do with Rikkchan."
Even after wracking my brain for the entire night, I don"t have an answer. What should I do? Currently, if Rikkchan wants to return to Nis.h.i.+no-kun, I wouldn"t mind doing that, but if she wants to stay with Ichinose-san, am I to party up with her? To be honest, she might be a close friend of Ichinose-san, but she isn"t that important to me. It"s the truth that I don"t want her to die, but it"s not like I could trust her with my back during a fight either. The very fact that I"m thinking about this proves that I don"t have faith in her. The world is like this already. No one is there to judge whether one choice is better than the other. Just yesterday, I made many mistakes and hesitated over several subjects.
"Momo, what do you think?"
"Wafu?"
I ask Momo who is lying on top of my lap. What should we do about Rikkchan?
"Wan."
Momo thinks about it for some time before replying, I"ll leave it up to you.
"How about you, Aka?"
"Furu furu."
Aka shakes, saying I"ll leave it up to you as well.
I see, both of you are leaving it up to me. In the end, what is it that I should do?
"Hmm…mmmm… huh? Kazuto-san?"
I hear Ichinose-san behind me. She must have woken up.
"Good morning. Did you sleep well?"
"…Yes. Fuaaa….niyuu…"
Yeah, she appears to be still sleepy. Even so, she is still holding onto her gun, which leaves a peculiar taste.
"…N? Huh? I…"
Following that, Rikkchan wakes up. As if she is confused about what"s happening, she looks around until her eyes open wide upon seeing the figure of Ichinose-san who is in a dazed state.
"Natsun? Eh? Seriously? That wasn"t a dream? I"m alive…?"
I can"t believe it, Rikkchan mutters. I see, from how she was yesterday, it isn"t strange to think that it was a dream. After all, she was so injured that she fainted right afterwards.
"Ah, Ricchan, good ---"
"Natsun…NATSUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN!!!"
"Mugiii!?"
Rikkchan hugs Ichinose-san with great ferocity. Oh, Ichinose-san"s face is buried in her chest!
"Good…good… it wasn"t a dream… it really wasn"t a dream…"
I"m sorry for interrupting your emotional reunion (version 2), but can you avoid hugging her too tightly? Ichinose-san is suffocating. You see, she"s a former Hiki Komori, so her status is in the singles digit.
You know what, screw it. Since they"re both awake, let"s discuss what to do while eating.