Chương 80: Chapter 22 The Road to the Prologue (Still Far Away) (Part 1)

"Kaori, is it really over?" I looked up at the sky. A few helicopters could be seen in the distance. I couldn't tell whether they belonged to the media or the police. But I knew one of them was a Chinook—a Self-Defense Force helicopter. Considering that we'd already seen the first aircraft shot down inside this "enter at your own risk" zone, the fact that helicopters were now flying overhead probably meant that a certain level of safety had been confirmed.

"Yes. The last one—the one Tsukasa defeated—is probably the last. No monsters have been spotted in the footage sent by the survivors inside the area, either. Right now, volunteers and rescue personnel are thoroughly searching the subway system and other underground areas, but there have been no reports of any further sightings." My clothes had been destroyed during the battle, leaving me completely naked, so for the moment I was covering myself with the towel Mochida had put over me.

My right hand had also been eaten during the fight, and with it, my ring was gone. If I still had that, my clothes would have been inside.

"Tsukasa, are you really not hurt anywhere?"

"I'm fine, but... why are you here, Rina?" My wife was an active person, but why was she here? It seemed the monsters had been eliminated, but an official declaration of safety had yet to be made. I didn't want her coming anywhere near a place that was still potentially dangerous.

"I have a job now too, you know..." She puffed out her cheeks.

"You remember how I told you that Nayuta and the others had gotten their Classes, right? If I'm going to tell them not to do dangerous things, then I have to experience them myself first. This time, I came as a volunteer... Well, I'm sorry. I used the fact that I'm family to convince the police heading to the site to take me there by helicopter." She looked at me again.

"Are you really okay?" We talked while walking toward the helicopter. Apparently, she had entered the gate without me knowing. I knew Nayuta and the others had gone in, but the sealed-off area was only Akihabara itself. If someone really wanted to enter, they could. Still, my wife had seen the monsters in videos... That, huh? Apparently, I was going to have to lecture even more people. My wife, myself, and Mochida boarded the large helicopter.

The large dog that had somehow followed us climbed aboard as well, and the helicopter took off.

"Rina, wait—!" Before I could start lecturing her, my wife, tears in her eyes, grabbed my cheeks with both hands and kissed me. Her lips covered mine, her tongue intertwined with mine, and by the time we parted, a thin silver thread stretched between our lips before disappearing.

"I heard your 'I'm home,' but I haven't given you your welcome-home kiss yet..."

"Honestly, you..." I sighed.

"When you do that, I can't continue what I was about to say."

"Um... should I give you a welcome-home kiss too? No, I mean—""Kaori, value yourself a little more." Leaving Mochida to watch my wife with a strangely envious expression, I wondered what to do about the ring as my wife slipped her hands under the towel and touched my skin. More importantly, what was I going to do about the ring? Without it, a lot of things would be a problem. Medicine, for one. Resources, too. And most importantly, the original copy of the Resource Ledger was inside it.

Losing the original would be a serious problem. A very serious problem.

"The ring... I'll look for it la—" A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"GYAAAH!"

"Hey! What kind of scream was that?!" As if I could help it! Something warm and rough had just brushed against the back of my neck. A tongue? I turned around. There was a large dog behind me. It was completely black, with fluffy fur. It wasn't barking, nor was it panting with its tongue hanging out. It looked like an ordinary dog. Or at least, it should have been one...

"Um... dog? Do you need something?"

"pjui5... woof." I heard a voice I really didn't want to hear. But I decided to ignore it for now. It could have been a hallucination... 『No, it couldn't. Did you forget what kind of magic you cast on that thing? 』 『Huh? The magic that turned it into a dog? 』 『That thing is a monster wearing a dog's disguise. You were the one who imagined it that way, remember? You told it, "You're only pretending to be a dog." 』 『Well, congratulations. You've acquired a familiar.

』 The Sage was laughing hysterically inside my head. If I were to picture it according to my imagination, she would be on all fours, pounding the floor as she laughed. No. After that, she'd probably be rolling around clutching her stomach. The dog stuck out its long tongue. And sitting on top of it... was my ring.

"Um... is that mine?"

"Woof!" I took the ring from its tongue. There wasn't a single trace of saliva on it. Good grief, you really are creepy, aren't you? I put it back on my finger. Apparently, it really was my ring. I see... You were chewing on my hand earlier, after all. Thank goodness it hadn't been crushed. But if I had the ring, then I had my clothes. Goodbye, nudist life.

"What a well-behaved dog. You actually managed to tame one in the middle of that battlefield? Just how relaxed were you?" Mochida, who knew nothing about what had happened, happily ruffled the dog's fur. Apparently, it had no hostility toward her. It simply wagged its tail and let her pet it. Should I quietly cut its head off later? 『You don't need to do that. Most of it is already inside you. Good thing you had enough room to store it. Right now, you yourself are its collar.

』 The Sage whispered that after laughing herself silly. She really did say whatever she wanted. I was a cat person. I didn't dislike dogs, but I had no desire to walk one every day. Nyan-ta was already waiting at home. On the other hand, letting this thing roam free was terrifying.

"Whiiine..." The expressionless dog let out a sad little whine. I had no choice, did I? If I carelessly threw it out, it could go on a rampage. People said pit bulls could bite people to death, and there were even dogs bred specifically for fighting. There was no way I could let this thing roam free.

"Fine. I'll keep the dog for now."

"Rina, could you move your hands? I want to get dressed." Even if she was checking me for injuries, she was touching me far too much. She kept running her hands over my chest and backside, despite there being nothing particularly interesting about my body. It tickled. Mochida seemed to have taken advantage of the confusion to touch my back as well. What was so interesting about it? She had already seen me naked before.

"Just a little longer! I want to keep stroking this skin. It's so smooth!"

"We can take a bath together later. For now, move. I don't know where we're going, but if I get off the helicopter wearing nothing but a towel, I'll probably be arrested." I pulled the two of them apart, took out black underwear and a cassock-style dress, and quickly put them on. There. I was no longer a nudist. I could get off the helicopter without a problem.

"So, Kaori, where are we heading?"

"The Joint Command Headquarters. When I left, the operation had already shifted from extermination to hunting down any remaining stragglers. Tsukasa, you were the one who fought the final battle." Sorry. Actually, that dog had been the final boss this time. There had been no announcement, and no more monsters were appearing, so the forced expulsion should have stopped. If they could finish dealing with the remaining monsters, then this whole incident would finally be over.... I didn't want to ask. But I had to.

"What about the casualties?"

"... We don't know the exact number yet. More than half. That's the last figure I heard."

"..." There was nothing I could say. The only words I could offer them were goodbye. Nothing else was necessary. I couldn't sympathize. I couldn't grieve. I couldn't speak of them through anger, contempt, or any other emotion. Their souls were sacred. I had no right to speak of their worth. I had no right to speak of comrades whose names I didn't even know. If I did, I would become nothing more than a fraud.

"... I won't attend the memorial. But please say goodbye to them for me."

"... Prayers are for the living, you know?" Whether funerals, offerings of flowers, or memorial services actually reached the dead, no one could say. But the people who performed them were certainly made to feel lighter. As a gesture of farewell. As a way of seeing someone off. As a way of parting with their memories. People found light in remembering the dead in one form or another.

"Yes. But I can't take the easy path." The one who had incited them in the first place had no right to seek that relief. Even if they had accepted the risk themselves. Even if it had been done to minimize the casualties. I didn't want to escape from those who had fallen and make myself feel lighter. I didn't want to look away.

"Tsukasa... you don't have to be so stubborn."

"You know me, Rina. You know that I'm capable of crying." My wife wrapped both arms around my head and pulled me against her chest. The sound of a heartbeat I no longer possessed felt nostalgic. Comforting. I was tired. My body was perfectly fine, but I was exhausted. Completely exhausted... And then... How much longer... (He's asleep?) (Yes. He must have been far more exhausted than he realized. He's selfish, kind, and stubborn, so sometimes we need to let him rest like this.) (Is this a wife's dignity?) (I'm not giving Tsukasa to you.) (... It's still okay to have feelings for him, isn't it?) (As long as it's only feelings.) (Good grief, this man! He charms people without even realizing it. The fact that he's completely unaware makes it even worse.) (I don't know what he was like before, but with his current appearance added to the equation, I can understand why it's difficult.) (And... we can see it now. Let's wake him when we arrive.)