Akira dragged his feet inside the ruins of Katsubara. He can only walk at this pace by stopping every few steps to catch his breath. But even as he struggled to walk, he finally dispelled the idea of lying down, and continued to drag his feet.

The reason why he walked so slowly was because of the backpack on his back. It was full of relics, so heavy that he shivered as he lifted his legs. Inexplicably he could carry so far, but he suddenly grunted a grumbling.

"Alpha, I'm wondering, isn't it a bit too much? Can we, you know, leave some relics? ”

He knew that if he could bring it back, he would definitely make a lot of money. What's more, he was the one who had complained before that he only brought a small number of relics. But the backpack he was carrying was so heavy that he suggested leaving some relics.

But Alpha rejected his complaint with a serious face.

"No, we're not going to do that. Honestly, I feel like I'm underestimating your bad luck. Just as we decided to go to the wasteland for a day of training, you were immediately attacked by two groups of monsters. You know, even if I don't see that. So, in order for you to be ready to face bad luck at any time, we need to provide you with better equipment as soon as possible. The money we earn from these ruins will be used to buy that piece of equipment, so you'd better try a little longer. ”

"I know what you mean, but ......"

Alpha could see that Akira was not only displeased, but also had another complicated expression on his face. So Alpha also made a displeased expression and said to Akira.

"Oh my, you're saying I should have given better support so you don't need more equipment? Just for your information, I always give me the best support, you know? ”

"That's not what I intended. Your support has been really helpful to me. Even if I go back there, if it weren't for your support, I'd be dead. I really appreciate it and I believe in you. But it's still ......."

Akira's trust and gratitude weren't fake, but there were so many other things in his head.

[For some reason, I've felt like I've been in danger since the day I met Alpha.] But again, facing danger is an occupational danger as a hunter, and I met Alpha on my first day as a hunter. So it can be said that it is just expected, but it is still ......]

Ming thought so, but he couldn't fully convince himself. Hearing his answer, Alpha's expression changed from displeasure to anger.

"It's so sad. Although you have such a beautiful young lady like me by your side to take care of a lot of things for you all day, you still complain like this, right? Akira, are you too greedy? ”

Probably because Akira was so tired that he looked angry.

"Greed, uh-huh......"

"And when I think you're not interested in the opposite sex, you do have a reaction to Shizuka, Sarah, and Elena, right? Like I thought, having a body that you can touch is a big factor for you, right? ”

Akira coughed and panicked, wondering if she was really that big in her reaction to Shizuka.

"Since I can't tempt you with touch, I don't know if I can tempt you with my appearance. Maybe nudity works well? No, from your perception of Sa

a, I think suggestive clothing works better. ”

Then Alpha took off all her clothes, revealing her beautiful skin, and there was nothing to hide them. Then she put on sexy lingerie and then paired it with a thin, almost transparent dress.

The transparent dress blurred in the light, showing a beautiful figure, and the fair skin is even more charming. The shadows on the other side of the light are fascinating. Everything about her was so seductive.

But in contrast, Akira's reaction was sluggish, he just blushed slightly, and then sighed softly.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I'm not going to complain anymore, go back to your plain cloth. ”

But Alpha just ignored that, and she pointed to the ruins.

"Akira, there's someone over there."

"Put on your cloth first. Over there, huh? ”

Akira then took out her binoculars and glanced in the direction Alpha was pointing, and saw a little boy running desperately.

"That boy, where have I seen him before......"

"He's the little boy who attacked you at the Shiryl base. Did he come here to kill you for revenge? ”

"You say, he does look like that boy......"

Akira remembered that someone had attacked him, but he didn't remember the face. But now, the boy doesn't look like he's following Akira's footprints. So Akira decided to just stare at him for a moment.

***

Ever since Elio was banished by Shiryl's gang, he has been looking for a way to get back to his original state. He heard about the recent developments of the gang from Alicia, who was close to him. He learns that the gang has recently been helped by a merchant named Katsuragi. Because of this, the gang's economy is developing very well. This fact only made him regret his stupidity. And since he doesn't have any connections that could help him join any other gang, and he already has someone he can trust to trust Shirley's gang, he wants to go back to Shirley's gang anyway.

Alicia tells him that although Shiryl can't do it in front of Akira, she actually plans to let him join the gang after a while. And just like that, Elio spent his days in the back alleys with this hope.

But until that time comes, there is no guarantee that he will be alive. Therefore, he has to do something before he loses more time. He thought hard and gambled. He asks Alicia to lend him a gun and then travels to the Katsubara ruins to find the relics.

In order to get back, Elio has to talk to Shirley or Akira. But this is not a problem that can be solved by prostrating and begging for forgiveness. He has to carry something of value with him, and bringing back a relic from the ruins would be the perfect keepsake. He thinks it's enough to pay attention to Aki, a hunter whose job is to find relics

A and his boss She

Yl apologizes, and the latter asks him to retrieve a relic from the ruins. This is also the reason why he decided to look for ruins in the ruins.

An expensive relic can turn an ordinary person into a rich man all at once. This is the most common dream of people in the slums. But Elio soon realizes that it was just a dream for him. He now knew that another child from the slums, like him, had become a hunter. He was so close to making that dream come true. So he thought he might have a chance to get rich as well. The dreams of the two men may be different, but he hopes that at least through a lucky encounter, he can grasp the fragments of that dream. That's why he dared to take a gamble and try his luck in the ruins.

But Elio's bet easily came to naught. The moment he arrived at the ruins, he encountered monsters. He did try to fight back with his gun, but since he was in a panic and he didn't really have the skill to use a gun, he didn't hit the monster with a single shot. And it didn't take long for him to run out of the small amount of ammunition he carried.

Horio, who was incapacitated, dropped his heavy gun and fled as fast as he could. The ruins, full of wreckage, were not an easy terrain for him to traverse, but not for the monsters who were chasing him. So it was very difficult for him to run past that hungry monster. It was only a matter of time before the monster caught up with him.

***

Akira looked at Elio with a puzzled expression.

"Go to the ruins without a gun, right? That guy was really careless. ”

Alpha smiled playfully.

"You're right. But he was just like you during that time, right? The only difference between that boy and you is that, alas, he won't see me. ”

Indeed, he is no different from Akira back then. However, since Akira encountered a pack of weapon dogs on his first day, he may actually be a little more careless than Elio in a sense. Akira smiled wryly when she realized this. The scene of Elio running away from the monster reminded him of himself, and Akira's face turned serious.

Aki

A What is seen from his binoculars is what would have happened to him if he hadn't met Alpha. The ending of this scene is obvious, it only takes a few seconds for the monster to catch up with Elio, and another second, the monster will hit him hard. If that happens, it will be the end of Elio's life. This is also Aki

A's life may also end in a different way with a storyline.

“… You are right. Is it me? ”

Akira muttered this as she picked up her gun. Seeing his movements, Alpha looked surprised.

"Shall we help him?"

"yes, it must be some kind of fate. Let's help him and improve my luck...... Moreover, he came at the right time. ”

Akira chuckled, carefully aimed and pulled the trigger of the gun.

***

After using all his physical strength and strength to escape from the monster's pursuit, Elio finally reached his limit. The road ahead was blocked by rubble, and he had no way to escape. When he turned back in horror, he saw the hungry monster open its massive jaws, baring its sharp fangs and splattering saliva.

This is the end of him. Elio's face contorted with fear, waiting for the impending death.

And just as the monster pounced on him, it suddenly rolled over. Then the gunshots kept echoing, and bullet fragments bounced around the monster. Blood gushed out from the cracked holes in the monster's body, staining the earth red.

But even then, the monster is alive. Despite its shaky and unstable nature, the monster got back on its feet. Then another bullet passed through its limbs and fell to its own pool of blood.

When it tried to get back to its feet again, another bullet pierced it. But this time, the monster shuddered and finally stopped moving.

Elio was stunned for a moment. When he came back to his senses, he realized that he was saved, and then he muttered in a happy and relieved voice.

“…… ...... am I saved? I'm saved...... I was saved!! ”

Elio struggled to calm his breathing, still excited. He then turned in the direction where he heard the gunshots, looking for the person who had just saved him. But the moment he saw his savior, his expression froze. The man he saw in that direction was the same person he had attacked that day. It was the man he met at Shirley's base who, while he was lying on the ground, pointed the gun at him and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

Seeing Akira beckoning to him, Elio's face twitched.

***

Elio shuffled his feet in the middle of the rubble. Like he said, he looked sad.

"W-This is too heavy......"

This is so because the rucksack that Akira was carrying was now transferred to Elio's back. It was a favor in exchange for saving his life. Although he was honest, he actually had no way to refuse.

The weight of the leg press hit him, who was tired of running away from monsters. He felt that if he fell, he would never be able to get up again. So, he tried not to trip and slowly dragged his feet.

They encounter monsters from time to time, but Akira, who walks in front of him, easily takes them away. From his back, Akira appears to be walking normally, but every time he encounters monsters, Akira is able to spot them and preemptively kill them. Elio had no idea how Akira had discovered those monsters.

【Aki

A has been fighting monsters with this heavy backpack until he meets me? Could it be that he was carrying this backpack and took them out so easily? No wonder he was able to defeat Sibia on his own. Did I really choose to fight this 'monster'? This explains why Shirley is so angry with me. Now that I think about it, I was so stupid......]

Elio's fear of Akira only multiplies, which makes him regret his actions more than before.

After freeing herself from the burden of her backpack, Akira was in a good mood and shot down the monster. But he looked at the monster he had just killed with a puzzled expression.

"Alpha, have these monsters been roaming the area?"

Alpha was also puzzled as she said.

"I guess some of the monsters that attacked Katsuragi ended up staying in this area. Or maybe it's the rare monster that was attracted by that pile of meat back then. Or, they're normal monsters that have evolved. ”

"These monsters are dangerous."

"In the worst-case scenario, the distribution of monsters within the ruins will change, making the exploration of the ruins more dangerous than ever. And even with your abilities and my support, we may need to stop exploring the ruins for a while. It was the right choice to bring a lot of relics this time. ”

Alpha says that even with her support it would be dangerous, suggesting that the situation is really dangerous. Akira understood this very well, and his face turned grim.

「…… Is it really that dangerous?"

"Let's go home."

"Roger."

Akira quickened the pace. Of course, Elio, who is carrying a heavy backpack, is more painful than him, and he desperately tries to catch up with Akira.

Once in town, they immediately went to Katsuragi's handshop and trailer. Elio used every ounce of his stamina as he made the final sprint. When they arrived at the trailer, Katsuragi, who was looking at the store, immediately noticed Akira and Elio.

"Akira, huh? This time you're bringing boys instead of girls, well. But then again, you really lived up to my expectations, and this time you're here as a guest, right? ”

"Yes, I'm a customer today. Although, I'm just here to sell artifacts. ”

"Ah, selling cultural relics? Well, whatever it is, I welcome any customer. So, what about the relics? ”

Akira then gestured to the backpack that Elio was carrying. Seeing this, Katsuragi smiled in a good mood.

"Looks like a lot, put it in the back."

After the three of them got to the back of the trailer, Akira began to take out all the relics he wanted to sell. At first, he just took out the contents of his backpack casually, and then Alpha told him to keep the medicine. So, Aki

A telepathically questioned Alpha.

"Wouldn't it be bad if I put it out just to show him?"

"It's better to be safe. If he insists that you sell those relics, you can't refuse, right? ”

"Looking at the price, wouldn't it be okay to sell at least one box?"

"Nope. That box could be the thing that saved you from death, you know? So be sure to keep it. ”

Akira didn't want to die herself, so she began to carefully take out the relics.

After sweeping through all the relics piled up in front of him, Katsuragi chuckled.

[… I don't know where the boy got all these relics. But this amount is considerable. As I thought, this boy will become a successful hunter. No matter what, I have to be on his good side. ]

After that, Katsuragi evaluated all the relics and performed mental arithmetic. Then he put on a businessman's smile and looked at Akira.

“…… Well. All right...... What if I take everything with five million olum ? ”

Katsuragi's face is full of the honesty and sincerity of a businessman. But this sincerity is mixed with some unnecessary hidden costs.

Alpha then casually said to Akira.

"It's not good enough."

Hearing this, Jing immediately said to Katsuragi.

"I see, then I'll take them to the hunter's office."

As he went to pick up the relics and put them back in his backpack, Katsuragi said in a panic.

"Wait! Await! Await! Await! Well, like, this is where you should bargain, right? Don't give up now. ”

Then, Akei coldly looked at Katsuragi who tried to gamble with him.

"You can continue to do it with your other businessman friends. I have no interest in doing something like this. You also have one more chance to decide on the price, and if I'm not satisfied, I'll take them to the hunter's office. ”

Katsuragi knew it wasn't a bluff. So he had no choice but to reconsider his price.

“… I understand!! 8,000,000 Coins!! How's that? ”

"Well, that sounds good."

(Athena: In the original language, this line is spoken in female inflection, so it can be inferred that this part is alpha.) ）

"I think it's good, you can start from scratch next time, okay?"

"Okay, we're here to make an agreement."

The relics that Katsuragi bought were moved into his trailer. He would eventually sell the relics for a higher price than what he paid Akira. After all, that's where his abilities as a businessman shine. Even if those artifacts are sold for a high price, no one will complain, because he has to spend more money to appraise them, and he has to get a quality assurance certificate and so on.

Katsuragi was in a good mood because he got a good deal.

"How do you want me to pay you? Do you want cash? However, it is easier for me to pay you by bank transfer......"

Until recently, Akira had lived in a slum city, so he didn't have a bank account yet. While he could easily open a bank account by doing some simple paperwork at the hunter's office, he didn't do so because he didn't need a bank account until now. So he tried to slide the topic down as much as he could, and said casually.

"Some people only accept cash payments. But when I need to deal with more money, I do something. ”

Katsuragi glanced at Elio, convinced of this reasoning. If Akira wanted to give Shirley and the gang money, it would be better to do it with cash.

"I see, so it's cash, right? Then you wait a minute. ”

Katsu

AGI gets into his trailer and carries 8,000,000 AU

um bales returned. Seeing so much money, Elio, who was lying tiredly, was startled, and his eyes bulged like saucers.

Alpha warned Aki

aDon't overreact. So, he just calmly took the money, put it in his backpack, and closed it.

Watching Akira's conversation with Katsuragi, Elio realizes the huge chasm between him and Akira. 8,000,000 Au

um is a huge sum of money for the children of the slum city. Elio thought that even Akira would be surprised, but Akira proved his expectations wrong, and without any mood swings, he calmly received the money.

Akira noticed that Elio was looking at him with complicated eyes. But he didn't understand why. Akira has finished carrying her backpack and has nothing to do with him anymore, and is now hesitating to send Elio home? Or should Elio be given some money? Aki

A doesn't even know to ask E

io is a good idea. But then he said.

"So be it, I have nothing else to do with you. You can go home now. I got you back, so you won't get anything from me. Afterward. ”

Look at Aki

A picked up the backpack and prepared to go back, E

io realizes that this is his only chance to request Aki

a help him get back to She

YL's gang. But if he doesn't ask well, Aki

A may think that he is asking him for money and get angry with him. Therefore, he desperately and cautiously asked Akira about it.

"Can you please Shirley let me go back to her gang? I was banished for what I did at the time. You may have saved me, but without those people, I would have been killed sooner or later! So please help me!! I even helped you carry that heavy backpack, you know!! So I'm at least helpful to you, right?!! Please help me!! ”

Akira looked back at Elio with a blank face. It was he who tried to calmly hide the fact that he was carrying a huge amount of money. But Elio doesn't understand this, and he starts sweating in a panic, thinking he's making Akira angry.

Elio realizes that he was a little too reluctant to ask Akira for help, but if Akira refuses to help him now, then he's really finished. If Aki

A thinks he's rude, and that means he's back to She

The chances of YL Gang are zero. But on the other hand, he also did not have the confidence to live alone in the back alleys of the slum city, nor did he have the courage to go to the ruins again. So he prayed hard that Akira would help him.

"Well, we can go to Shiryl now."

Seeing that Akira immediately turned around and walked towards Shellyl's base, Elio followed Akira in a daze. He was still stunned when he heard the words he had just heard. It seems that his pleas have been heard, and he now hopes that he will not be scolded by Shirley in the future.

Looking at Katsuragi, where the scene unfolded in front of him, he felt that Akira had done a good job of taming Elio.

***

Shirley's gang is doing a great job. After all, her gang members are basically the same as the gang members of Sibi's gang. And the news that Akira, who killed Sibia, supported the gang is already familiar to the people of the slums. Not to mention, the gang was able to get a steady stream of money and guns from Katsuragi. Combining all these factors, the people of Slum City have realized that Shirley's gang is not just a gathering of slum kids, but a proper gang, albeit a small and weak one.

When a small, weak gang appears in a slum city, it is normal for people to want to join that gang. Like people who can't join any other gang for some special reason, or who are getting the cold shoulder in their current gang.

But there is also the fact that the Boss, Shiryl, and the members in charge of the gang, and even Akira, who supports the gang, are all children. Because of this, no adult wants to join Shirley's gang. In this way, Shirley's gang became a unique gang in the slum city, and its members were all children.

Inside the base, Shiryl is talking to Alicia in a private room.

"How's the clearing of our territory going? Is it going well? Did our gang fight? After all, our territory should be a little dirty right now, so it's to be expected that some people aren't happy with us. ”

All gangs in the slum city have an extra job, and that is to clean up their territory with any garbage and garbage.

In slum cities, it is very important to clean up your own territory. Not only because it's the unwritten rule of the slum city, but everything a gang picks up during the cleanup process becomes the property of that gang. While those who dump them are garbage, most of them bring money to people in slum cities.

Anything that can still be used will be preserved, while any found metal objects will be collected and sold as wreckage. Anything that looks like it can be repaired is then repaired and used or sold to someone else. The rest will be dumped in the wasteland.

On top of that, clearing one's territory shows everyone that you own the territory.

Alicia reluctantly recalls her conversations with other friends who are cleaning up.

"Hmm. There are a lot of people complaining about the number of corpses lying around. That's it, I guess. ”

"Well, that's to be expected. After all, no one has cleaned up this area until recently. ”

Slum cities are infested with robbers. As a result, the bodies of the victims or robbers or even both are usually found. Of course, if no one takes care of these corpses, they will be left there to decompose. Collecting the corpses, along with their personal belongings, was the job of the people who owned the territory.

When Sibea was killed and the gang was disbanded. The territory was unmanaged for a time. As a result, the bodies piled up in the area as no one cleaned them up.

Then Shirley gave the order as usual.

"Get rid of the corpse as usual. Remove them from any personal belongings and store their stuff in a warehouse, then dump the rest in the wasteland. Also, give more guns to those on duty to go to the wasteland. ”

Transporting a body to a wasteland is not an easy task. Now that they have a chance to encounter monsters, it is important to arm them with the proper equipment. Thanks to Katsuragi, Shirley was able to obtain the bare minimum of equipment needed to traverse the wasteland.

Keeping your territory away from any corpses also brings benefits to the gang. After all, the government simply chose a clean area to distribute their free rations. As a result, keeping the area clean increases the chances that the area will be selected as a distribution site.

On the other hand, if the corpses are constantly piling up in an area. The area will become unhealthy and the government may decide to disinfect the area with fire. In order to prevent the unhealthy environment from spreading and affecting the lower district, they would literally set fire to the area. They will burn everything, people, buildings, just everything, leaving nothing behind.

While the government always says they have no choice but to burn down the area because such an environment would attract monsters, rumor has it that this is just an excuse they use to trim the slum population. Basically, dirty areas can be the target of this kind of pruning.

Because of this, all the gangs in the slum city go all out to keep their territory clean.

Alicia then asked Shirley cautiously.

“…… Well, Shirley. Regarding the number of people in the gang, we have a lot of new members, right? ”

"Is that so? I don't think we have enough members because we still can't properly clean our territory. But if you mean to say it's harder to take care of the gang than it used to be, well, yes, you're right, we have a lot of new members. ”

This is the first time she has managed a gang. Although she slowly got used to it, she didn't have confidence in whether she was doing well or not.

"I'm thinking of choosing you and a couple of others to help me manage this gang, you know. But I'm still evaluating who to choose. I know it's not easy, but do your best, okay? ”

It's impossible for Shirley to directly manage everything about the gang, and it only gets worse as her gang grows bigger. But even so, she still needs more people to join her gang. So with this fact in mind, Shirley felt that she should hurry up and decide who would help her run the gang. And she's good at managing a group, so she's not worried about the problems that might arise from creating such a group.

But Alicia then continued vaguely.

"Of course, I'll do my best, but ...... That was not what I meant...... Uh......"

"What?"

「…… Shiryl, do you think it's okay to let Elio rejoin when we add some members?"

Alicia is worried about Elio. She did try to stop him, but Elion said he had no choice and set off for the ruins of Katsubara.

Although Alicia knew that Shirley might even banish Elio if she knew that she had given one of the guns of the gang to Elio without permission, Alicia gave it to Elio, hoping that he would return safely.

Alicia volunteered to help Shirley manage the gang because it would make it easier for her to hand over some of the gang's guns to Elio. And, she thought, if she was useful to Shirley, maybe she could change Shirley's opinion a little bit.

But Shiryl's face turned sour.

"Nope."

Although Alicia stared at Shiryl with pleading eyes, Shiryl did not soften in the slightest and continued.

"No, it's been less than a month since that happened, you know? There's no way I'm going to get him back on board in such a short time! You know, from now on, Aki

a will visit this place regularly. So if he sees Elio, the outcome could be worse than having to banish him. He may even be angry with other children as well. You don't even understand this?! ”

There was silence between them. Despite what she said, neither of them backed down. Xue'er said coldly.

"If that's it, then go back to work and calm down."

“… All right. ”

Then Alicia walked out of the room with her head down.

Shirley sighed, stood up, and was about to go back to work when suddenly Alicia ran back.

"Cher! Elio is here. ”

Shirley glared at Alicia and said coldly.

"Kick him out. Alicia, you're too stubborn. Let's take a break......"

But then Alicia added content to her report.

“…… He came with Akira. ”

Shirley froze.

After saying that, she hurried to Akira's room waiting for her, but before she could enter the room, she stopped by the door to see Akira's mood. Then she disguised her sourness and entered the room. Walking into the room, she smiled at Akira, ignoring Elio, who was sitting next to Akira and looking at her awkwardly.

"Welcome. Thank you so much for visiting us again today...... Uh, did Elio bother you again? Well, let me say beforehand that Elio has been kicked out of the gang since then. So if he does anything to you, we have nothing to do with him......"

Contrary to Shirley, who tries to be polite in order not to spoil Akira's mood, Akira answers her casually.

"yes, that's what I've heard. If you're okay, can you get him back into the gang? Although, if you don't agree, I'm totally fine. You're the boss here, after all. ”

Shiryl was surprised to hear Akira's words.

"Hmm...... I don't mind you saying that, but ...... Do you really agree? ”

"yes, after all, he helped me a little bit with my work today."

Shiryl couldn't refuse Akira. If Akira asks her to banish someone, she won't hesitate to do it. This also means that if Aki

A told her that she would accept anyone to join her gang. Even if she felt strange or shocked, or if she was genuinely uneasy, she wouldn't do anything to spoil Akira's mood. Shiryl said as she smiled affectionately at Akira.

"I understand. If so, then I'll accept him. ”

Elio breathed a sigh of relief, looking relieved. Alicia was overjoyed to hear this. Shirley, on the other hand, was hesitant to ask. Akira then turned to Elio and said with a serious expression.

"Elio, don't say anything superfluous to Shirley. And Shirley, don't ask Elio anything unnecessary. Good? ”

"I see."

"Okay."

Hearing Elio's nervous answer, and the smiling Sheryl, Jing nodded lightly and said.

"That's all for today. Afterward. ”

Akira then left the building.

Shiryl, who had been smiling, immediately turned into a puzzled expression and turned to Elio.

"So what's going on?"

Elio wants to tell Shellil what happened, but he knows he has to be careful not to tell her the full details of the story. So Elio was very careful with his words.

“...... It happened, Aki

A ended up saving my life. And then after that...... Well, I had to help Akira...... After I helped him, I asked him to help me talk to you about rejoining the gang. That's it. ”

Elio then recalled what he had just said to make sure he hadn't said anything unnecessary.

"He saved your life, huh...... What the hell is he ......? ”

Shiryl was about to ask for more details, but stopped when she saw Elio shaking his head desperately.

"Please stop here. When Aki

A told me not to say unnecessary things, I don't know what I shouldn't reveal. If you want me to tell you everything, I'll tell you everything from the beginning. But if Akira knew, I'd tell him you forced me to tell the details, you know. ”

Elio looked scared as he said this. It was a very different situation than when he tried to beat Akira.

Shirley then asked Elio with a serious face.

"At least tell me that Akira isn't mad at you anymore, is he?"

Elio was silent for a moment, thinking seriously about the answer before speaking.

“…… I don't think it's okay. If he wants me dead, he'll let me die. ”

"I see. In that case, I'll get you to work right away. Be sure to take care of other children so they don't do stupid things like you. This time we have guns, so if this happens again, I'm afraid it won't end with Akira's counterattack. ”

Elio nodded and replied with a serious expression.

"Roger. After all, I don't want to get in trouble anymore. ”

Watching Elio's behavior take a hundred and eighty-degree turn, Shirlile was eager to know what was happening, but she turned it off for the time being. Alicia is glad that Elio is back in the gang. And under Elio's gaze, it's unlikely that anyone would do anything as stupid as he did. He can also be used to tell new members about his experiences because he is the one who does it. That's what Shiryl thought, and she stopped herself from digging deeper into Elio's story.

Shiryl thought that if Elio had gone to visit again, the same thing might have happened, so she kept her mouth shut.

Alicia smiled happily and walked over to Elio.

"I'm really glad you came back alive, Elio. Not to mention that you have to get back into the gang too. I don't really understand what's going on, but it's all thanks to Akira, right? ”

"Yes, you're right, he got me back to the ruins."

"I'll have to thank him personally in the future......"

Elio looked at Alicia who was talking happily and remembered what had happened in the ruins. He was puzzled and thought for a moment.

[Now that I think about it, Ming was fighting monsters at the time, as if he knew the location of those monsters in the first place.] He also sometimes turns in a direction that is nothing...... It seems that someone is by his side ......]

Elio then remembered that Akira had told him not to say unnecessary things. Just as he remembered it, he suddenly felt an unknown fear, and he shivered and froze.

Alicia looked puzzled when she saw Elio stop suddenly.

"Elio, what's wrong?"

"No, nothing."

"Are you sure? Well, if you say so. By the way, you said it was Akira who saved you, so you're dangerous, right? Like I thought, did you get attacked by a monster and then saved by Akira-"

"Alicia."

Elio interrupted her halfway through, then looked at her with a serious face. Although he looks really scared of something, he pleads with Alicia, who is surprised by his behavior.

"I plead with you. Please don't ask me about it. ”

"Oh, okay."

Alicia winced in reply and nodded firmly.

When Akira warns him not to say anything unnecessary, Elio finally understands what Akira means.

Elio shuddered as he thought about the consequences of telling someone about it. Then he wondered what would happen if he told Alicia about Akira. But just thinking about it sent chills down his spine.

Alicia asked worriedly as she watched Elio's performance.

"Elio, are you really okay?"

Elio replied with a smile to dispel Alicia's concerns.

“… I am fine. ”

Elio then swears to himself that he will never reveal anything about Akira.