Side: Asuka Horii
What a strange place.
The air isn’t flowing, and there’s no sign of ventilation. And yet, the air isn’t stagnant.
“Asuka?”
Amanohashi-kun, as calm as ever, called out to me as I touched the ground. He’s the calmest of us all.
“There’s no dust.”
In a place like this, where no one has been for a long time, dust would naturally accumulate. But here, there’s none. Not just in the walkable space, but even in the corners.
Is someone cleaning this place?
More than that, though, these burning torches are the most unnatural thing. They’re placed at regular intervals, but they should burn out in a few hours.
If you use torches in an underground space without ventilation, the oxygen should run out. Not to mention, there are no ashes from the burned-out torches below them, which is also strange.
“Isn’t it something related to the academy?”
Kitamura-kun’s suggestion seems the most plausible. Maybe there’s an underground space they’re trying to use.
There’s no end to how many unnatural things we could point out here.
“Hey, let’s get out of here already.”
“Yes, let’s do that.”
It seems Aizawa-san wants to leave as soon as possible. Considering the possibility of an earthquake, she’s right. It would be wise to leave now.
With that decided, we started moving. Now, which way—right or left?
“Let’s go this way.”
Amanohashi-kun started walking naturally, and I followed. There’s no real reason for it. His quick thinking when he saved me earlier and called for everyone to escape shows remarkable decisiveness.
If either way works, I should trust him.
“Is this place a maze or something? There aren’t even any rooms.”
Kitamura-kun, ever the mood-maker, kept talking to keep everyone’s spirits up, even in this situation.
“Could it be an air raid shelter from before the war?”
“If it were, wouldn’t it have rooms?”
Thanks to Kitamura-kun, Aizawa-san seemed much calmer now. Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be any signs that the place was going to collapse due to an earthquake.
Then, Amanohashi-kun suddenly stopped.
“Amanohashi?”
“There’s something here.”
As Kitamura-kun called out, Amanohashi-kun gestured for us to move to the right.
“Isn’t it one of the ones who fell?”
“Probably not.”
Amanohashi-kun’s face grew tense with certainty. If it were one of our classmates, they’d be making more noise. If it were adults here to help, they’d be even louder.
Could it be an animal?
“Gii, giigi.”
An eerie sound reached our ears.
Around the corner, waiting for us was…
“What… is that?”
“It stinks!!”
Aizawa-san recoiled in shock, and Kitamura-kun pinched his nose at the overwhelming stench.
What is that thing?
It was a small man, about a meter tall. No, not a man.
“A monster…”
Pointed ears, large, clouded eyes. Its grimy, greenish body was covered only by a rag tied around its waist. It looked exactly like a monster from a fantasy movie.
“Giii!!”
The creature, noticing us, gleefully swung a club-like weapon.
No way…
The monster raised its club and charged straight at us!
Side: Shou Amanohashi
It’s a Lesser Goblin. A monster referred to as such from the other world. It’s a lower-class goblin, lacking any intelligence. And it’s only one.
As expected, this place isn’t normal.
However, the first monster I encountered is a Lesser Goblin, something that shouldn’t exist in this world, which might be considered fortunate. At the very least, if it were an animal-type monster, it would have been difficult to defeat it in front of my classmates.
Even if it showed hostility, hitting an unknown animal could easily be labeled as abuse.
“Giiiii!”
What Lesser Goblins know is whether something is friend or foe, strong or weak. I’ve been taught that’s all they care about. The reason it’s attacking is simple: it sees us as weak.
It swings its club down at me, standing at the front without thinking.
“Kyah!!”
I hear Aizawa-san’s scream, but I can’t let myself get distracted. If I focus, this attack isn’t impossible to dodge.
Avoiding the blow at the right moment, I counterattack and kick the goblin.
“Gyaaah!”
I successfully land a kick around its gut, but…
Tch, it wasn’t enough to finish it off in one blow. In the other world, this type of monster is one that beginners can easily hunt.
It could be because I’m unarmed, but it also shows just how much weaker I am in this restricted state. It’s only natural in a world without imminent danger.
I’d like to finish it off quickly, but I’m concerned about how Horii-san and Aizawa-san will react to the sight.
“It’s… running away.”
Oh, even Kitamura is in shock. He’s a guy, so I hope he can hold up better, but I was a mess when I first ended up in the other world too. I can’t laugh at him.
“Are you okay?”
“…What was that thing?”
“Yeah, what the heck was that?!”
Now that the danger has passed, they’re starting to feel the fear. Both Horii-san and Aizawa-san are throwing harsh words at me, desperately wanting reassurance.
“Ah, wait. Sorry. It’s not like blaming Amanohashi-kun will help.”
“Oh, right. I’m sorry.”
I was unsure of how to answer, but it seems I don’t need to. They calmed down on their own.
“Let’s get out of here for now. If something else comes, it would help if you didn’t move around like before.”
“Yeah, understood.”
“Amanohashi-kun, you’re amazing. Did you practice martial arts or something?”
It seems Horii-san and Aizawa-san are fine now.
“You can count on me next time too! Leave it to me!”
Yeah, Kitamura, please just take it easy. If you want to impress them, you’ll have plenty of opportunities once we’re out of here.
“I learned a bit of self-defense from my grandpa.”
Of course, that’s a lie. I don’t know any self-defense. My grandpa is just a regular old man. But I can’t say anything else. Sorry, grandpa.
We walked for about 30 minutes after that. Thanks to avoiding monsters, we managed not to encounter any more as we moved toward what seemed like an exit.
“Is anyone there?”
A voice calls out from a distance.
“Is it rescue?!”
“Wait!!”
Aizawa-san was about to respond, but Horii-san quickly covered her mouth in a panic.
“Horii-san, why?!”
“This place is weird. What if it’s not rescue? What then?”
Kitamura, thinking it was help, looked confused, but Horii-san is the calmest in this situation.
She looks toward me.
“Amanohashi-kun, what should we do?”
My danger detection skill isn’t reacting to the voice. Based on my perception skill, it seems human. But there’s no harm in being cautious.
“Let’s get a little closer. Either way, I think the exit is in that direction.”
“Got it. You two, don’t make any noise, and even if you see someone you know, don’t get close to them.”
It must be Horii-san’s leadership. When she says that, Aizawa-san and Kitamura quietly obey.
Without realizing it, my palms were sweating. I prepared myself for the worst, touching the magic item bracelet that would release my physical limit as I approached the voice.
“Oh! It’s you guys!!”
The person who appeared was our P.E. teacher.
“Amanohashi-kun…”
“Yeah, it’s really the teacher.”
With Horii-san and my words, Aizawa-san and Kitamura must have felt relieved. They collapsed to the ground, sitting where they stood.
“Are you all okay? Any injuries?!”
“No. None of us are injured.”
Horii-san replied on behalf of everyone, and I also felt a wave of relief wash over me. If we’d encountered a more formidable monster in this dungeon-like place, I wouldn’t have had the confidence to fight it off.
Monsters with a bit more intelligence tend to target the weak. Trying to protect three people while fighting would have been nearly impossible.
“The exit is just ahead.”
“Sensei, what the heck is this place?”
“I don’t know either. Could be some old facility. Maybe an air-raid shelter from the war.”
We’re safe now. As the teacher led us toward the exit, Kitamura, exhausted, kept asking questions about the place, but I doubt the teacher was hiding anything.
What is this place?
That question remained unanswered.
