The World Is Overflowing with Monster, I’m Taking a Liking to This Life

Chapter 177: Jealousy

TN: Shout-Outs Section!

<<Scheduled report.>>

<<Shout-Out Progress for March: 5/8>>

*****

Just in the nick of time.

Upon checking the names on the party member list, I unsummon my clone and dive into Momos Shadow.

Immediately afterwards, Peonys vines pass over where I was standing with tremendous velocity.

HuuHuu That was dangerous

By the time I step out of the Shadow, Ive arrived within the Safety Zone.

I plop down on the ground and stare up at the skies.

I wouldve been captured by Peony had I entered Momos Shadow a tad bit later.

Peony had shot its vines at me right after it had finished devouring the giant clone.

Even though it hadnt noticed me while it was having its meal, its attention locked onto me when it was done.

(Im slowly understanding the logic behind Peonys behaviors)

Eating means everything for Peony.

It fights so that it could eat and fill its stomach.

Peony had abandoned its fight with the Dragon to prioritize eating my giant clones.

A Ninjutsu which I originally thought was useless turned out to be extremely effective against Peony.

Now that Ive grasped its behavior patterns, it will be much easier to think up of strategies in the future.

K-Kudou-san.

Hm?

Looking over at the direction where the voice originated from, I see the figures of Ichinose-san and the others waving their hands.

Ichinose-san is running towards meNever mind, shes out of breath alreadyI guess I have to go greet her instead.

HaaHaaa Thank you for your hard work, Kudou-san

Yeah likewise

Ichinose-san has only run a short distance, but she seems much more tired than I am.

I think its better not to point this out.

Onii-san, good work out there

Thank you for all the hard work you put in, Kudou-san. Oh, and here.

Nishino-kun and Rikka-chan join us.

I gulp down the drink which Nishino-kun has offered.

My throat has been rather dry ever since I was relieved from the tension.

By emptying the drink in one go, I quench my thirst.

Fuu~ Thank you. It feels like Ive come back to life.

So how did the plan go?

I smile at Nishino-kun who asks me anxiously.

Dont worry, it worked.

Then?

Yes, the Dragon has joined us.

They all exclaim in surprise.

S-seriously? Like seriously serious, onii-san!?

Seriously serious, Aisaka-san.

Yay, you did it! Youre amazing, onii-san!

Uwa!?

Rikka-chan hugs me abruptly.

OffuOh, wowThis This might be bad

The pressureThe pressure from her chest is out of the world. Theyre really soft.

Whats more, she smells really nice.

Oi, Rikka!? What are you doing?

Ricchan!?

P-please calm down, Aisaka-san.

I somehow manage to retain my sense of reason and peel Rikka-chan off of me.

Its a pityTo be honest, I want to enjoy the sensation a little bit more, but I peel her off anyway.

It seems that Nishino-kun and Ichinose-san are also stunned by Rikka-chans sudden action.

Eh? Ah, sorry about that. I was just really excited. Sorry, Natsun.

Mu

For some reason, Rikka-chan bows her head to Ichinose-san.

Wait, why are you apologizing to her? And why are you pouting, Ichinose-san?

Nishino-kun is making a complicated expression as well.

This conversation isnt going anywhere, so lets move on.

A-anyway, the operation was a success. Momo, come out.

Wan!

Momo appears from the Shadow in response to my call.

Afterwards, Kiki also comes out.

Thank you, Momo, Kiki. We succeeded this time thanks to you two.

Wan! Wan!

Kyu! Kyuu!

Momo and Kiki close their eyes happily when I stroke them as thanks.

Kudou-san, where is the Dragon right now?

Inside the Shadow. She appears to be talking to Aka.

I can perceive the presence of Aka and the Dragon from within the Shadow.

Why arent they coming out of the Shadow?

Wan! Wan!

Momo replies as if she has read my mind.

Oh, is that so? Okay. Thanks for the explanation, Momo.

Whats happening, Onii-san? Also, you can understand what Momo-chan is saying?

Eh? Isnt it quite clear what shes trying to say? Right, Ichinose-san?

Yes. Aka-chan seems to be persuading the Dragon so that she doesnt attack us inside the Safety Zone.

Yup.

For real

Rikka-chan is taken aback.

Ehem. Ive come to understand most of what Momo-chan is saying.

Fufu, Ichinose-san, you have improved a lot.

No, no. I cant compare to you, Kudou-san.

No, no, no. Im not that great.

Fufufu.

Hahahaha.

Wan! Wan!

Ichinose-san and I have a good laugh.

Momo circles around us happily.

Shes so cute that I pat her.

My best friend is steadily becoming less and less human

Pot, meet kettle.

Youve pretty much quit being a human too, especially when it comes to combat.

Hmm, not that it matters, but I guess one could argue that were not really humans since Ichinose-san and I have Evolved.

Although the Dragon has joined us as a party member, she hasnt opened up to us yet. Until we can persuade her otherwise, it seems like she wont be allowed out of the Shadow.

Wan!

Kyu!

Momo and Kiki dive back into the Shadow.

They also begin persuading the Dragon. All three of them are so dependable.

Hmm? Wait a minute.

Since the Dragon has Telepathy and Thought Resonation, isnt she capable of talking with us humans as well?

Wan! Wan wafu

As Im indulging in such thoughts, Momo reappears from the Shadow.

According to Momo, The Dragon has acknowledged Aka, Kiki, and herself, but she has not acknowledged Kazuto and the other humans.

Its a very tsundere-like line that often appears in manga and anime, but it gives me the chills when the Dragon says it.

If the trio fails to persuade her, its very likely for the Dragon to actually unleash a breath as soon as she escapes from the Shadow.

Now that she has joined our party, the Dragon can use her skills normally in the Safety Zone.

In other words, we shouldnt be feeling relieved yet

(Still, its a step forward.)

We were able to get a powerful ally known as the Dragon.

This result alone means more than a thousand pieces of gold.

How breathtakingto think you would actually make the Dragon our companion

Its also thanks to Ichinose-san and the trio. I couldnt have done it without them.

Even then its amazing. Kudou-san is really an amazing person.

I-is that so? Haha, thanks for the compliment.

Being complimented by Nishino-kun is kind of embarrassing.

Until now, not many people have complimented me like this, so I feel kind of happy.

Thank you as well, Nishino-kun. Youve always been very cooperative.

Thats not true. Ive never been able to do much

No, thats definitely not the case.

I wonder

Ahaha, well, its true that Nisshi and I havent been the most helpful this time around, but well do our best next time.

Unlike Nishino-kun who makes a complicated expression, Rikka-chan laughs cheerfully.

Then Ill be counting on you in the future.

Please do! Ill do my best to surpass Natsun. Right, Natsun?

W-wait, t-too close, Ricchan. Dont hug me so suddenly.

Ichinose-san loses her cool when she gets hugged by Rikka-chan.

Although its great to see that theyre on good terms, I think that their skinship is a little overboard.

That said, I wouldnt mind if you hug me one more time.

Everyone must be exhausted, so lets head back to our base and rest. We can discuss what to do from now on afterwards.

Yes.

Agreed.

Youre right.

We decide to return home for a break.

Looking back, I think the missions success had gotten to my head at that point.

With the Dragon joining us, we had finally taken a step forward.

As such, I was too preoccupied to notice a subtle change.

There was a dark shadow lingering on Nishino-kuns face as he walked behind us.

*****

While all this was happening, Igarashi Touka was busy trying to calm the residents who were in a state of panic.

(Mou~ that persons asking for too much)

Kazutos second request was for her to pacify the confused masses.

People were bound to panic again if the Dragon entered the Safety Zone as a member of Kazutos party.

With that in mind, he made an unreasonable request, which was for her to prevent the panic from happening ahead of time.

(That persons a massive S for sure. Hes making me do this when he already knows that I dont want to use this skill in public)

But she didnt have a choice. She had to do it.

There was no telling what kind of horrible things would be done to her if she didnt comply.

Perhaps it would be more excruciating than the pain of having my stomach torn apart.

Just thinking about it gave her the shivers.

While she loved to inflict pain on others, she herself wasnt a massive fan of pain and suffering.

Touka turned on the loudspeaker in her hand, took in a deep breath, and shouted,

EVERYONE! PLEASE SETTLE DOWN!!!

Everyone that had flocked to the City Hall heard her shout.

Huh?

This voice is it Touka-chan?

Fujita-sans child?

Is that so?

Yes, I remember Fujita-san talking about her.

Hes married? I thought he was single!

HaaHaaI want her to step on me.

Hey, thats not whats important right now.

Thats right, we should be

Everyone, please calm down and lend me your ears. (Touka)

As I said, thats not

Waitwhy dont we first listen to what she has to say?

Yeah, its Touka-chan, after all

WellI guess we can hear her out first?

HaaHaaI want her to abuse me with her beautiful mouth

You, shut your trap.

The inhabitants that were panicking until a moment ago magically began listening to her words.

Shimizu and Nijou, who had both been desperately blocking the entrance, were astounded by this.

Theres no need for anyone to panic. Theres no need for anyone to be afraid. Havent we overcome crises like this many times before? Why is everyone giving up and deeming that its impossible this time? We have the mayor with us. We have the Self Defense Force with us. Please believe in their powers.

..

Before they realized, they were all listening to her speech.

Her voice seemed to carry a mysterious power which empowered her to deliver her words directly to her audiences minds.

In fact, that was precisely what was afoot.

Enchantment was originally meant to be used against singular targets, making them fall for Touka and having them move according to her will.

However, it was also possible for her to apply the skill against an unspecified number of people.

In such cases, the potency of Enchantment dropped dramatically.

Nevertheless, this imbued a certain degree of charisma into each and every one of her words.

In Laymans terms, she could incite the people.

Of course, this wouldve been completely ineffective against experts like Kazuto or those with resistance skills like Nishino.

Having said all that, it was more than sufficient in this scenario.

Influenced by her words, people were gradually regaining their composureSome of them were staring at her with overly ecstatic expressions, but she was probably mistaken.

(Dang it. I wasnt planning on revealing this skill until the very end Im sure that sharp people like Shimizu-san have connected the dots by now)

As someone who could brainwash others through her skills, Touka understood how much of a threat she was to the City Hall in this situation.

Unfortunately, she couldnt continue hiding her skills as she had to obey Kazutos orders.

(That manIll make sure that he bears the responsibility!)

It was disgraceful to say the least.

She was supposed to be ruling at the top, but she was forced to follow someone elses orders.

Deep down, Touka could hear the sounds of her master plan crumbling apart. At the same time, unbeknownst to her, a new sort of emotion was springing up inside her heart.

*****

-That night-

Nishino was sitting alone on a bench situated within a park that was under the protection of the Safety Zone.

With a can of coffee in his hands, he was gazing up into the night sky.

Huu

He had lost count of how many times he had sighed.

The Dragon had become their ally, and the threat known as Igarashi Touka had disappeared.

Overall, things were progressing really well.

Nonetheless, his expression was dark.

He knew the reason why, but he refused to admit it.

Kazuto-san is amazingreally amazing.

He could easily do things which Nishino could not.

No, thats not right.

Easily wasnt the right word.

To produce results, Kazuto had to risk his life on many occasions.

As someone who had watched him do so with his own eyes, Kazuto appeared strong, dazzling, and spectacular to Nishino.

Nishino was proud to have Kazuto as one of his friends.

Still

Why couldnt that be me?

He couldnt help but have such thoughts.

The answer was clear to him.

It was because he was weak.

Unlike the others, Nishino didnt have powerful skills, and his stats werent that high either.

Nishino excelled in using his head to command his comrades, so one could say that he simply had a different role to fulfill.

But he was still a man.

As a man, he wanted to look cool in front of the girl he liked.

Haaa

Today, when he saw Rikka innocently hugging Kazuto, his heart ached.

Why him? Why not me?

He repeatedly asked that question without end.

Rikka was happythat should have been enough for him.

After reuniting with Ichinose, her best friend, Rikka had become brighter than ever beforehe should have been satisfied with that result.

That was what he honestly thought, but

Why am I getting jealous of Kazuto-san

He really hated it.

He really hated himself for thinking like that.

He never imagined that hed have such negative thoughts.

Nishino had always been pretending to be unaware, looking away from the truth to protect himself from being scarred.

No, in the first place, I dont even deserve to like her.

I was the one who made her go through those memories.

Besides, I wasnt even aware of who her best friend was.

What right do I have to say that I like her?

Im so pathetic

That was why he came to the park alone in the middle of the night.

He didnt want anyone to see his sorry figure.

Sadly

Oya? Whats the matter? Why are you here in the middle of the night?

Eh?

He heard a voice.

When Nishino looked up to see who had spoken to him, he saw a man standing there.

The man had a friendly smile on his face, and the word Ossan described him perfectly.

The mans identity was

Goshogawara-san

Goshogawara Hachiro, an ossan, was standing there, waving.