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Tl: Sam

…

Two weeks had passed in the blink of an eye since the incident caused by Suda.

Thanks to the people who fought the monsters in the city, no major scars were left on the streets, and there were no fatalities. Some of those who fought were naturally injured, but through Dojima-san’s efforts, the country agreed to cover their medical expenses and support. As always, he was a caring man.

In the end, the details regarding Suda’s “business partner” remained unknown. Speculation flew across the news and the internet every day, but none of it went beyond the realm of pure imagination.
While many people were probably anxious, the city was steadily regaining its peace and returning to everyday normalcy.

And today, I too had come to a certain place to bring closure.

“Yo, good work.”

Passing through the heavily guarded gate and stepping outside, I was greeted with those words.

The one who had called out to me was Adachi. The facility I had been in until a moment ago prohibited entry to the general public. I had been granted special permission to enter, but Adachi couldn’t go inside and had been waiting outside.

Dojima-san had mentioned he might be able to enter as an escort, but due to Suda’s escape, the rules had reportedly become much stricter lately.

Perhaps having bought it while waiting, Adachi handed me a can of coffee.

“So, how was it?”
“Yeah, he looked surprisingly well.”

Opening the canned coffee, I replied.
The place I had been in until a moment ago was a detention facility exclusively for Awakened. Suda, who had miraculously survived, was also being held there.

Suda, who had temporarily transformed into a monster, was transported to this detention facility after undergoing experiments… or rather, examinations, by Maki-san at the Magic Research Bureau. It seemed my single slash had cleanly severed the monsterized core, allowing him to recover without any major aftereffects.

Maki-san had even chewed me out, telling me I should have left at least a little bit of the monsterized parts intact.

“What did you talk about?”
“Nothing special, really. The Ministry of Monster Control and the police had already interrogated him, so there was nothing left for me to pry out.”
“Makes sense.”
“Yeah. But… just as I was leaving, he apologized to me. Said, ‘Sorry for everything until now.’”
“…Are you for real?”

In response to Adachi, who asked back with wide eyes, I silently nodded.
I had been quite shocked at that moment as well. If not for the venue, I might have shouted out loud. To think words of apology would actually come out of that guy’s mouth… A meteorite might just fall from the sky tomorrow.

“This whole incident probably gave him a lot to think about. I’m not soft enough to forgive everything just because of that, but… well, it did make me somewhat glad.”
“I see. Looks like you can move forward now. Both you… and him.”
“No doubt about it.”

Come to think of it, both he and I had been bound by the titles of corporate slave and corrupt president. I felt as though both of us would be able to live much more freely from now on.

“By the way, how is that person from the former Black Dog Guild doing? You met him recently, didn’t you?”
“Ah, you mean Gouda? He’s completely gotten back on his feet and is doing great.”

Apparently, he’s going to start a company with the other explorers he fought alongside in Ikebukuro. And on top of that, it’s not an explorer guild, but a security firm.
It seems protecting people suited his temperament far better than diving into dungeons. Who would have thought that incident would lead him to his true calling? You never know what life has in store.

“Did you find out anything about that masked man who vanished?”
“No. It seems Suda only knows the name of the organization he belonged to. The police are looking into the wire transfer history, but they’re laundering money overseas, so tracking them down from that angle seems tough.”
“I see, typical. Good grief, that Suda guy really is useless.”

Adachi said that with a strained laugh.
On this point, I felt like complaining too. Spending all our hard-earned money only to get played like a fiddle. Money is important, you know!

“So, what are you gonna do now, Tanaka? Look into the guys backing Suda?”
“Nah, that’s not my job. I’ll leave that to Dojima-san and the police.”
“Heh, that’s a bit surprising. I thought you’d be curious.”
“My job is dungeon exploration, not tracking down criminals. Sure, I’m curious about them, but investigating that isn’t my line of work. Well, if I run into them while I’m on the job, I wouldn’t mind feeding them a punch or two, though.”

Clenching my fist as if showing off, Adachi laughed, “Sounds great.”

“If that’s what you decided, I’ll follow along. I’m curious about those guys too, but it doesn’t look like there’s any money in it.”

We chatted about such things while walking toward the facility’s parking lot.
Then, a figure walking toward us from the distance caught my eye.

“Oh, isn’t that Kanade-chan? Did she come to pick you up?”
“Yeah, we’re supposed to spend a little time together after this.”
“Oho… Good to see you two getting along so well.”

Adachi looked at me with a smirk.
Look at him having fun. Even if my mouth were torn open, I could never tell this guy that Rin jumped me the other day.

“Well then, I guess this is where we part ways for today. Have fun with it.”
“Mind your own business. See ya.”

Saying that, we parted ways.

“Phew, things are really piling up.”

I might be getting proper sleep, but honestly, there are even more things I have to do now than when I was a company employee. On top of that, they’re all matters that require a lot of brainpower, not something that can be resolved simply by hacking down monsters left and right in dungeons like in the past.

Yet, strangely enough, I felt fulfilled. That was surely because I can think and act for myself now.

When I was a corporate slave, I merely moved as Suda ordered me to. In a way, that was easy, but it wasn’t fun. Thinking and choosing for oneself… I understand all too well now how wonderful that is.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Amatsuki. Shall we go?”

I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed either, so there will probably be times when I make the wrong choice.

But as long as it’s a path I chose for myself, I won’t regret it… and as long as everyone is around me, I should be able to overcome any failure.

Seeing the smile of the girl who had come to meet me, I found myself thinking such thoughts, uncharacteristic as it was for me.

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