Chapter 6: Square 5: The Qualification to Ask for a Name
The day after learning about Levels, I had already left the hospital.
I had no injuries or illness, just exhaustion.
There was no reason to stay any longer.
"Well, they took a chunk out of my money for the hospital bill.
I need to start earning soon..."
The medical fees were just under 30,000 yen.
I had two 10,000-yen bills left in my wallet.
From here I’d need to rent a room, buy food, and get clothes.
"...Not enough."
On an empty roadside, my stomach growled pathetically.
A child passing by with wildflowers turned to look at me and giggled.
"Sigh... Even when you’re broke, you still get hungry."
No matter the situation, hunger comes anyway.
I wished there was a store nearby, but there were no convenient convenience stores.
I really felt the convenience of modern society now.
"What should I do..."
I stretched my back lightly and sighed while looking up at the sky.
Then a kind-sounding voice came from nearby.
"You look tired, young man.
Want something to eat?"
I turned toward the voice and saw a small bakery.
The sign’s paint was faded and the edges were rusted.
It gave off the impression of a small downtown shop.
Business seemed slow, just as it looked. A friendly-looking auntie waved at me.
"Won’t you buy something?
Not many customers today."
As she said that, the delicious smell of freshly baked bread drifted from inside the store.
Might as well buy something while I’m here.
"Hmm, any recommendations?"
The auntie said "Let’s see" and looked over her goods.
"Today’s recommendation is these."
She pointed to colorful sandwiches stuffed with meat and vegetables.
"The taste and doneness are better on other days, but the weather’s nice today, right?
I think eating these while looking at the view over there is the best."
I followed her finger with my eyes and looked up slightly.
There stood one building.
"The clock tower? Can you go up there?"
"Yes, the view is wonderful. Why don’t you try it?"
The massive building that could practically be called the symbol of the town had an overwhelming presence that naturally drew the eye.
"Yeah, I don’t have anything else to do anyway."
I didn’t know anything about this town yet.
Looking down at the whole city from high up sounded good.
I opened my wallet, bought a ham and cheese, a thick meat one, and a vegetable one, thanked the auntie, and walked leisurely toward the tower.
It seemed anyone could enter the clock tower.
I had been prepared to pay an entrance fee, but it was apparently free.
I climbed the stairs right after entering, and my heart raced at the scenery visible through the small windows.
"The view of another world...
It feels like going to an amusement park as a kid."
My steps grew lighter and lighter.
Since there was no one around, I stopped caring about appearances and started taking the stairs two at a time.
The light shining down from above grew gradually stronger, and I stepped onto the final stair.
"There we go... Whoa."
A spacious observation deck appeared midway up the clock tower.
It seemed this was as far as the public was allowed.
There was no glass, so it felt more like a watchtower.
The view of the town from there was undeniably spectacular.
"...Amazing."
The beautiful cityscape spread out before me.
The country was surrounded by a large outer wall, but I could see beyond it from here.
To the north was a dense forest, and the faint sparkle to the south was probably the sea.
And there was a magnificent building towering nearby.
Judging by its shape, that had to be the castle.
"Hm, an information board?"
A large sign stood in one corner of the observation deck.
It displayed a rough map of the entire town.
"It’s a pretty big city.
According to this, that really is the castle."
It was called Parrot Castle.
I just noticed that the top of the sign said "Parrot Kingdom."
Come to think of it, I didn’t even know the name of this country.
"The facilities are quite unevenly distributed."
According to the board:
Central District: Important buildings like the castle are concentrated here.
Northern District: Schools and educational institutions.
Eastern District: Poor security, home to the poor.
Southern District: Various guilds are scattered here.
Western District: Agricultural facilities.
Each area was described in detail.
"In that case, I should head south and look for work at a guild.
I should be able to find day labor or something."
My future plans had unexpectedly come together.
Feeling relieved, I stretched my back.
I sat on a bench in a particularly good spot with a nice view, enjoying the blue sky and scenery while slowly eating my sandwiches.
"I relaxed a bit too much..."
After that, I tried to roughly memorize the town map, and before I knew it the sun had started to set while I was forcing myself to remember.
I didn’t want to sleep outside in this town.
So I quickly left the clock tower and walked through the streets dyed in sunset colors, looking for a cheap inn.
There were still a few people scattered in the shadows of the shops.
Among them, I spotted a familiar white dress.
"Oh... Wait.
Come to think of it, I never asked that girl’s name."
I was wondering how to call out to her when she luckily noticed me too. She waved her small, cute hand at me.
"The uncle who saved me!"
The little girl smiled brightly.
Yes, this was the girl I had risked my life to save just the other day.
"Hey, we meet again."
"I’m glad.
I went to your hospital room earlier, but you had already been discharged..."
"I see.
I didn’t think you’d come, so I didn’t say anything. Sorry about that."
The girl shook her head, saying "No, not at all."
Her black hair swayed along with the shopping bag that looked like a burlap sack.
"By the way, you came to the hospital room, did you need something from me?"
"No, I thought I’d bring you an apple as a get-well gift."
Right after saying that, the girl clapped her hands.
"Oh, right!
If you’re not in a hurry, why don’t you stop by?
My house is right over there. I’ll treat you to some delicious fresh apples I just bought."
She pointed toward a building that gave off the impression of an apartment.
It looked like she was temporarily staying there with government assistance.
It would probably be hard to live in her original house again, and a child in her mental state probably needed an adult around.
"Then I’ll take you up on that."
"Yes!"
The girl’s house, after we entered, was less "tidy" and more... empty.
"Sorry, I’ll bring out the table now."
"No need to worry about me."
The girl took out a small table from a box and placed it on the floor, then took chilled apples from the refrigerator.
A crystal on top of the fridge was glowing faintly.
That must be a magic tool too.
"Ouch!"
"What’s wrong!?"
"Ah... sorry, I cut my finger a little with the knife..."
A red drop fell from the tip of her finger as she held it.
"Oh dear.
Wait a second, I think I have bandages in my bag..."
"...Bandages?"
She gave me a "what’s that?" look, and I was stuck for an answer.
I guess I could just make something up.
"Um, it’s tape with medicinal herbs applied to it.
It helps wounds heal faster."
It was a quick lie, but the girl stared at the bandage with fascination.
"I see, I’ve never seen one before."
I gently wrapped the bandage around her fingertip.
"There, all done."
"Thank you, I’m sorry."
"Don’t mention it."
In the silence, only the sound of the girl peeling apples could be heard.
She seemed to be struggling a bit, but I watched warmly.
"Here you go."
"Thanks."
She served one plate for me and one for herself.
She had struggled only with the peeling, the apples were neatly sliced.
When I bit into it, it was very sweet and full of juice.
"Yeah, delicious."
"I’m glad."
While eating the apple, I casually asked something that had been bothering me.
"...By the way, what about your little sister?
Is she still in the hospital?"
There was a brief pause, followed by a loud clatter.
The girl had dropped her fork.
Through the gap in her long hair, I saw her face filled with the same despair she had when begging passersby for help.
I wasn’t so dense that I couldn’t understand the situation.
Could it be that her sister...
"Come to think of it, I never told you... My sister..."
"You don’t have to...."
"She’s dead!!!!!"
As she lifted her face, her expression was a heartbreaking mix of grief and anger.
It wasn’t a face a child should make.
"...Why... didn’t you... save her..."
"What did you just say?"
"Nothing! I’m sorry!"
The girl ran out of the house.
...I had heard it clearly.
What she had said.
"Why didn’t you save her... Yeah, of course she’d think that."
I had been getting carried away.
I had mistakenly thought I was the victor.
I had thought I was some hero from a fairy tale.
"What great achievement? What major feat?
I didn’t do anything at all!!"
I stabbed the fork into the table so hard the plate bounced.
In the end, nothing about that incident had been resolved.
Yet I had gotten full of myself. I was furious with myself.
"My actions... were nothing but self-satisfaction.
I’m just a hypocritical fake hero!"
That girl had lost her mother, her father, and her sister. Her house was destroyed.
Two of the three criminals had escaped and were still at large.
What the hell was this? This was a happy ending? This was resolved?
Are you kidding me!?
"I didn’t ask her name... That’s not the problem."
I stood up and gripped the handle of my bag so tightly it felt like it would break.
"I don’t even have the right to ask for that girl’s name!!"
I ran without caring about appearances.
There was no point wallowing here.
I had to go find her.
For a hypocrite like me, that was about the only thing left I could do.
"Haa... haa... Where did she go!?"
The streets were overflowing with people.
Some major roads were even blocked off.
I pushed through the crowds, desperately searching.
"Why are there so many people today of all days!!"
I searched the plaza, riverside, bookstore, general store, hospital, every place I knew.
Still, I kept running.
I ran and ran, but I couldn’t find the girl.
However, there was still one place I hadn’t checked.
"...Maybe she’s there?"
I headed toward the place I had been most hesitant to visit.
The sun had almost completely set, leaving only a faint light in the purplish sky.
That was the time when I stood there.
"I hope I’m wrong, but..."
The place I was looking at was the girl’s house where the robbery had occurred.
I stepped inside the room, which still reeked of blood.
"The bodies have been cleared, but the blood is still here.
They cleaned up pretty sloppily..."
The blood was stuck thickly to the floor, clearly outlining human shapes.
In the corner of the room were leftover pieces of flesh that hadn’t been cleaned up.
This was no place a child should be.
In that space, I heard a stifled sobbing sound.
Careful where I stepped, I looked toward the source.
"...Found you."
In the dimly lit room as the sun set, the girl was there.
She was crouched in the corner, a small, fragile figure.
I didn’t know what to say to her.
She looked so delicate, like she might disappear at any moment.
She was crying so intensely that she didn’t even notice me standing right behind her.
I gently reached out to touch her shoulder.
"It’s okay n...."
The moment my hand touched her, the girl spun around with surprising speed.
She twisted her body as if extending her knees and leaping, and with the momentum of the rotation, she drove the knife in her right hand deep into my shoulder.
"Ughaaaaaaaah!!! ...Guuh... uuu!"
My right shoulder burned with intense heat.
Blood gushed out, quickly soaking the floor red.
"Eh!? U-Uncle, why!?
Why are you here!? Eh? Eh? Eh?"
I couldn’t understand what was happening, but the girl was equally confused.
"Aaah... my shoulder..."
"I-I’m sorry... Ah, what do I do!?"
The pain paradoxically cleared my head.
I guessed that she believed the criminals would return to the scene and had set a trap, using herself as bait.
To avenge her family.
I had approached carelessly without realizing any of that.
This was my mistake.
"It’s fine... This kind of wound...
I have an acquaintance who can... heal it with recovery magic right away..."
"B-But... but!!"
My lie had no effect.
Her hollow eyes after stabbing someone showed that her heart was on the verge of breaking.
Her mental state was extremely dangerous.
I was desperately trying to think of words to calm her down when...
My body trembled.
If I had to describe it in one word, it was overwhelming bloodlust.
A sensation similar to what I felt right before death enveloped my entire body.
No good! I can’t stay here!
Every hair on my body stood on end, and I couldn’t stop sweating.
But I couldn’t abandon this girl and run.
My course of action was decided.
"Hide! Hurry!!"
"Hii... Eh? Eh?"
"Quickly!"
"Y-Yes!"
The girl crouched down inside the storage cabinet under the sink.
Right after she hid herself completely, I heard wet footsteps behind me.
I turned around, breathing heavily, and saw the person I least wanted to meet in the world.
"They say criminals often return to the scene...
But I didn’t think you’d actually come."
"Oh my, didn’t I say we’d meet again?
Did you forget~?"
The one who appeared was Nest, the woman I had met just yesterday.
She was wrapped in a gray robe with her face hidden, but I would never forget that voice.
I had been taken from behind by an opponent that even a hundred guards couldn’t defeat.
On top of that, I was badly injured and couldn’t move properly due to blood loss and pain.
Bluffing or cheap tricks wouldn’t work this time.
"I won’t forget... In fact... I remember it all too well... Guuh..."
"My my, what’s wrong?
That’s quite a deep wound.
You shouldn’t move too much, it must hurt, right?"
Nest reached her hand toward me.
I tried to stand up in a panic, but the pain was so bad I couldn’t.
While I was clumsily struggling, her fingers touched the blade still stuck in my shoulder.
"Giiiiii... Gaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!"
Nest yanked the blade out of my shoulder in one motion.
The excruciating pain nearly made me lose consciousness.
"...How impressive. This is quite a fine blade.
Just what kind of person attacked you?"
The bleeding wouldn’t stop.
Even to an amateur, it was clearly too much blood.
My vision was already distorting, and her face was blurry.
"Does it hurt? If you can’t bear it, just say so~"
"It hurts... so you’ll make it easy for me...? Not funny..."
"How impressive.
To be able to look at me like that in this situation.
Ufufu, there aren’t many men like you."
She kept talking, but she didn’t attack.
She might still be wary, thinking I had some trick left.
But I had nothing.
If anything, dying was my only plan.
So I poured out everything I wanted to say to her.
"...I thought I had saved them...
I thought I had succeeded.
But... that wasn’t true.
It was actually a huge... failure."
"I have no idea what you’re talking about."
I saw the curved blade in Nest’s hand.
It was almost time to end this.
"You don’t need to understand.
No matter how much I rack my brain right now... I can’t see any way out.
So I’ve already... made up my mind..."
"You’re quite decisive.
Well then, it’s time to say goodbye to this world. Are you ready?"
Of course not.
I bit down hard on the words I almost said.
This was the very end. Don’t show weakness.
Since I’m going to die, I’ll go out strong!!
"Yeah, do it! I won’t forget you!
One more time.
...One more time, I’ll overcome you without letting anyone die!!"
"You’re contradicting yourself~
You’re not going to survive, so don’t talk about ’next time.’"
"Yeah, I definitely won’t survive.
But I will definitely challenge you again.
That contradiction is my power... Cough Hack... Haa!"
It was getting hard to even speak.
Nest no longer looked human in my fading vision.
"Enough. I have no interest in listening to a loser’s howl. Goodbye."
The moment I resigned myself to death, the cabinet door under the sink opened.
"Uncle!!"
Unable to stay hidden while I was in danger, the girl jumped out and screamed with all her might.
Distracted by the sudden appearance of another prey, Nest’s aim went off.
However, the curved blade, instead of taking my neck, sliced off my left arm.
"Gaaaaah..."
Blood sprayed violently from the stump of my left arm.
Normally, I should have already lost consciousness.
"Oh my~ So you were just trying to let that girl escape?
I thought you had some plan and got all worked up for nothing~"
My senses were disappearing.
I couldn’t withstand any more blood loss.
But... there was one thing I absolutely had to say.
Before I died, before I returned, even though I knew I had no right, I couldn’t die without asking.
"Hey... What’s your name?"
"Eh? I... I’m Yu..."
"Byyyyye~"
——
『Return to Start』
Feeling regret as the white text floated on the back of my eyelids, I stood up.
After taking a breath and straightening my tie, one man began to run.
For the sake of a girl whose name he still didn’t know.
Comments