Chapter 127.2

127 Part 2

Becky gently reached out to Maat.

Did she think Maat was some kind of plushie?

Maat didn’t move, and was wrapped in Becky’s hands just like that.

“Waah!”

“Becky, let me hold her too~!”

Doraneko was shaking her body left and right, begging Becky to lend Maat to her.

The captured bird turned around, looking at Haruki with puppy eyes.

However, there was nothing Haruki could do for Maat.

The moment the two of them showed the strength to push Kagemitsu away, he simply couldn’t muster up the courage to help her.

”… It’s a monster but it doesn’t look like you at all. But is it a monster, though?”

“It is a monster. Hey! What do you mean, it doesn’t look like me?”

“Exactly what it sounds like. Take a hint.”

What’s Kagemitsu trying to say?

Haruki was completely puzzled by his words.

“I have a lot of things I’d like to say, but oh well. We don’t have that kind of time. We should get going.”

“… Yes.”

“Alright~”

At Kagemitsu’s call, the two who had had their fill of Maat’s fluffiness reluctantly returned her to Haruki.

Released from their clutches, Maat quickly scurried into Haruki’s feather necklace to escape.

We went through the headquarters of the Self-Defense Force, which was basically a remodelled school, and entered a room that was labeled as “Rare Species Countermeasures Room”.

“… You again?”

The person at the back of this room seemed disgusted to see Kagemitsu again.

The person is a bald man with a bulging belly.

He was equipped with gear from the Kawamae series, but he didn’t seem to be very well trained.

There was something attached to his waist. A middle-class weapon of the same manufacturer. Is it some kind of a military sword?

How splendid! Haruki’s heart raced after seeing the man’s good taste in weaponry.

However, it was unlikely that he would ever pull that sword out of its scabbard.

(Dungeon weapons were limited by the user’s level, but they wouldn’t be affected by that restriction unless said person tried to use them.)

“I think I’ve already told you that we’d be the ones taking care of that unique-species monster in Mt. Hakodate Dungeon.”

As soon as the man expressed his displeasure, a pungent air began to drift in the room.

The faces of the Self-Defense Force members around me went stiff.

It’s the same atmosphere you’d see inside a company on a day when the boss is in a bad mood.

I see. This guy’s the leader of the Self-Defense Force around here.

He was able to understand that much just by reading the surrounding atmosphere.

The leader looked at all of the Aerial team members, and saw Haruki.

At that moment…

“Wha-!?”

The man shouted hysterically.

He was so astonished that it was as if he had seen an UFO coming out of nowhere and abducting a cow in the middle of the day.

His eyes were nailed to Haruki.

Haruki got suddenly excited.

(He’s watching me!!)

Have I finally gained the strength to not lose even to Kagemitsu’s impressive presence!?

Contrary to Haruki’s uplifting, a dense thundercloud was welling up inside the room.

“You bastards… What do you think you’re doing, bringing a monster in here!?”

The thundercloud finally released a lightning bolt, which made the room tremble as it crashed down.

“Monster? HUHH!? Ah? Mons… Ter…”

The one who was called a monster looked around and was excited to find that all gazes in the room were directed at him, but he suddenly withered when he realized the meaning of those gazes.

He repeatedly denied it in his heart.

But those gazes didn’t lie.

The moment that man called someone a “monster” everyone turned their gazes towards Haruki.

No no no, I must be imagining things! There’s still a chance they aren’t talking about me, right!?

Haruki tried to get away from their gaze by stepping back a bit.

But the gazes moved along with him.

There was no escape from this.

It was a nightmare come true.

Haruki felt as if he was about to collapse, but he grit his teeth and stood firm.

Behind him, Karen almost couldn’t resist the urge to laugh, but he could still hear her nervous breathing.

Kagemitsu shrugged and smiled as if saying “Look…”

Looking at the rest of Team Aerial, all of the members put their hands on their mouths and turned to the side so as to escape from Haruki’s line of sight.

“… Hey.”

Haruki felt as if he had just been abandoned by the people he had struggled together with.

“Listen here, adventurers! The Self-Defense Force will never give in to this kind of pressure!!”

The leader slammed his fist on the desk with his face bright red.

His relaxed-looking demeanor tightened up instantly.

“You’ve got it all wrong, Mr. Yoshioka. We’re not trying to put pressure on you so you’d let us take care of that unique-species monster–”

“Silence!!”

Yoshioka slammed his fist on the desk again.

All the members of the Self-Defense Force who were present turned pale, and their shoulders started to tremble.

Haruki and others, on the other hand, didn’t make the slightest movement.

Because they knew that Yoshioka’s threat was empty.

Haruki and the others had been receiving intense murderous intent in the dungeons on a regular basis.

Genuine murderous intent was something that was given off even without the need for yelling.