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Tl: Sam

…

『Voices of anxiety are spreading through the city regarding the monster incident that occurred in Tokyo. The government has responded that this incident is currently under investigation, promising to swiftly fing the cause and find measures to control the situation――――』

No matter which channel I switched the TV to, they were talking about today’s monster uproar. It was the same on the internet. A considerable number of videos of monsters running wild in the city were circulating, and everyone was grieving, panicking, or raging as they watched them.
Several conspiracy theories were already floating around, with some people going so far as to claim that these monsters were created by the government. This topic probably won’t settle down anytime soon.
Aside from me, Hoshino, Lilicia, and Dagosuke were at home, all wearing complicated expressions. Just when we thought we could relax now that the undersea dungeon affair was sorted out, this happens.

“……I’m home.”

The front door opened, and Amatsuki came inside. She must have been constantly occupied dealing with this incident. Exhaustion lingered on her face.

“Welcome back. How did it go? Did you find out anything?”
“No, nothing. No matter how thoroughly we investigated the monster spawn points, no dungeon was found. The unique magicules that generate when a monster disaster occurs weren’t detected either… so there’s no way to establish a way to move forward.”
“I see…”

So it really wasn’t a monster disaster after all. If a monster disaster had occurred, the damage wouldn’t have ended with just that, so I also doubted it was one. But if that’s the case, why were there monsters outside? The mysteries are endless.

“For now, the Ministry of Monster Countermeasures is coordinating with the Metropolitan Police Department to pool personnel and deploy skilled Awakened throughout the city. I believe Rin and I will be assigned there as well.” “Is that so… If you need a hand, call me.” “That helps. Honestly, no matter how much manpower we have, it’s not enough. We plan to reach out to major guilds to borrow personnel as well.”

To that extent? I was surprised. Well, considering we don’t know where the monsters will appear next, no amount of manpower would ever be enough. Even if we gathered every Awakened in Japan, covering the entire Tokyo metropolitan area would be impossible.

“Still, for you to be present at the very first monster appearance site… aren’t you being targeted?”
“Give me a break. There’s no way. What would anyone gain by targeting me?”

I’ve tried to live my life without antagonizing others. There might be people who hold an unjustified grudge against me for doing well as a D-Tuber, but surely no one would unleash monsters over something like that… right? I’m starting to get anxious.

“Well, first we need to determine the cause. Who could possibly be doing something like this, and how…”
『Breaking news. A video has just been posted on the video-sharing platform “D-Tube” by a person believed to be the perpetrator behind the monster uproar.』
“Eh?”

At those sudden words, I turned my attention toward the TV. The perpetrator published a video? Who could it be, and what did they say? We stared at the TV, completely glued to the screen.

『Here is the footage.』

The video was projected onto the TV screen. Upon seeing it, my eyes went wide in shock.

『Ah—, can you hear me? Heh heh, did you like my present, Tanaka?』

To my utter shock, the person shown there was my former boss and childhood friend, Suda Akihiro.

『Surprised, Tanaka? Too bad for you, thinking you had me thrown into the slammer. Sorry, but I won’t bow to your cowardly underhanded tricks. Just like this, I’ve come back right in front of you.』

Glaring at me through the screen, Suda spoke. At first, I thought it might be a fake, but this overbearing attitude and utterly irredeemable victim-blaming mindset were unmistakably Suda’s. Just watching him made me remember the past and sent sharp, stabbing pains through my stomach, so he’s definitely the real deal.

『I’ve heard all about it, Tanaka. Looks like you’ve been riding high while I was gone. Playing copycat by founding your own guild, bagging yourself three wives, succeeding as a streamer… for a piece of useless trash, you sure played your cards well, didn’t you?』
“…………”

Suda’s voice was laden with intense hatred. It seemed that during his detention, his rage toward me had continuously piled up and festered.
It’s true that my actions were the trigger for Suda’s arrest. But the root cause was entirely on him… Why on earth does he hate me this fiercely?
Suda was an equal-opportunity power-harassing president, and he was harsh with other employees as well. Looking back now, though, even they had it better than I did. I was the only one forced to work under such brutally black conditions. While there were employees who got injured on the job, there was nobody else driven to work until they died. The only employee forced to constantly risk life and limb on the job was me.

『This is revenge. I will never forgive you. I’m going to put your pathetic, unsightly state on display before a massive audience, make you beg for forgiveness, and then kill you like a miserable dog. You’d best prepare yourself.』

With that parting shot, the video ended. After a brief silence, Amatsuki spoke to me.

“Makoto, was that just now…”
“Yeah. Looks like the monsters were Suda’s doing after all.”

How he procured the monsters, and why he remains so fixated on me, I don’t know. However, since I’m the target, I have to be the one to settle this.

“Alright, Suda. Let’s settle this once and for all.”

Remembering the face of my childhood friend who had fallen beyond the point of no return, I muttered softly to myself.

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