Akira focused all of his attention on Alpha's movements, not letting go of even the slightest change. But even then, he couldn't dodge a blow.

Because Alpha's layered dress hides her blades, it's hard to judge the timing of her attacks. Moreover, Akira's eyes simply could not keep up with her movements.

Akira did her best to focus on Alpha's movements, but it was far from how focused he was when he faced a death situation. Alpha noticed every time he lowered his guard and used the opportunity to slip into the attack with precision.

Akira was slashed many times by Alpha's sword. Although he was familiar with her attacks, he still couldn't dodge the incoming blades. Akira felt tired after staying focused for a long time. Because of this, his concentration deteriorates with each second.

Eventually, Aki

A is too tired to even react to Alpha's attacks. Alpha noticed this and decided to end the session.

"That's all for today."

Akira didn't hide her tiredness and sighed heavily. Then he glanced at Alpha again and sighed again.

Alpha tried to cheer up Akira because he was clearly frustrated.

"It's not something that can be learned overnight, and today's training is not fruitless, so let's continue to train patiently."

"I think you're right."

Aki

a is not fully recovered, he is just speaking bravely. If you give him enough time, Aki

a Will stand up on its own.

"Let's take a break and then continue studying in your room. Or do you want to take a full day off? ”

"No, let's learn. I'm at Hu

te

Breaks from work, so I at least want to keep improving myself during the breaks. ”

"Well, I don't know what to teach you today"

Akira had enough rest and went back to his room to start his lesson.

"Calculate your arithmetic today. As a hunter, you should at least be able to calculate your rewards correctly. ”

"How long are you going to stay like this until then?"

Alpha is still wearing the clothes left over from the last training session. It's not at all suitable for teaching. As she spoke, she just smiled playfully.

"Since you didn't tell me to change it, I thought you liked it, so it's always like this."

"Okay, okay, next time, I'll tell you to change your clothes as soon as you're done training."

"You don't have to suppress yourself, you know."

"Back to what you're wearing, okay?"

i

As was a great response to this sexy suit, anyway. Humans can really adapt to anything.

Akira then spent the day studying in this strange situation, but it wasn't anything unusual for him.

It's been 5 days since Akira rented the house. He does the same training every day to compress his time perception. But his results haven't changed much from the first day of his training.

Each time, the training would continue until Alpha's layered dress was almost completely gone, and it didn't end until Aquilas's reflexes became rather sluggish due to tiredness. Even after five days, Akira still couldn't dodge a single blow. While his reaction speed improved without using time compression, that wasn't the main purpose of the training.

After training, Aki

a Resting. He looked frustrated because he felt how sad it was that he hadn't shown any progress all the time.

Since Alpha told him that he could compress time perception, he believed he should. But even then, he couldn't do it. He didn't even show signs that he could do it anytime soon.

Just when Akira's face was full of frustration, Alpha suddenly said something strange to him.

"Akira, you just received a strange request."

"A strange request?"

"yes, a strange request, you can check it yourself."

Alpha pointed to Aquilas's information terminal. Alpha operated the monitor on his information terminal, quickly passing through a series of screens. When it appears on the website, it shows Aki that only hunters can access

As information on the page, it eventually stopped. Akira reached for the information terminal and checked the notification, and there was indeed a request specifically designated for him.

The requester is Shiori. She is one of the hunters he encounters in the dungeon of Katsubara Ruins. Once, when the relic thief Yajima took Reina hostage, he had fought with her. The request is only titled Consultation.

When Akira looked at the description of the request, she only said that she wanted to meet and talk to him, and mentioned where and when to meet. As for the payment, it is said that Shiori will pay for the meal.

"What the hell is this?"

Akira thought it was strange and rechecked the request, but he didn't read anything wrong.

"I don't know. Maybe it's just a request to meet, a real request. We won't know unless you ask Shiori personally. ”

"As far as I can see, nothing was said except that she invited me to speak during the meal, and the shell paid for the meal."

"That's real."

"What the hell does she want to talk to me about?"

"Even if you ask me, I don't have any guesses."

Neither Akira nor Alpha knew the purpose of Shiori's invitation to Akira for dinner.

"So, what are you going to do? Are you going to accept her request to meet her? Depending on where she plans to meet you, I don't think there should be any danger. ”

Shio

The meeting place mentioned in the IS request is a restaurant inside the largest hunter's office in Kugamayama City. Anyone who causes trouble in that place will be fighting the Hunter's Office at the same time. Since Shiori asked Jing to meet her there, he could rest assured that she wouldn't provoke him.

"It's okay if you want to say no. You can also ignore it. It's up to you, Akira. ”

Alpha gives Aki all her advice

a。 Although it might be a good opportunity for Akira to catch his breath if he went to see Shiori, there was no reason for Alpha to recommend it in particular. It really depends on Akira. As long as his actions don't interfere with her goals, Alpha will try to respect Aquiras's will.

Akira reread the request so many times that he didn't know whether to accept it or not.

After some thought, Akira finally decided to accept it. Because he was curious why Shiori wanted to see him. If he can safely confirm this with this request, then there should be no problem accepting it. Akira thought so and decided to accept the request.

Moreover, the meeting place is at a high-end restaurant, and if Shiori is willing to pay, then she can eat expensive food without paying. That's why he decided to accept the request. But since access to free food was one of the factors in his decision, he tried to ignore it as much as possible when considering how to do it.

Akira confirms Shiori's acceptance of the request, and then he finishes his preparations and heads to the designated restaurant.

The Kugamayama City Branch Hunter's Office is located in a huge building that is integrated with the wall separating the middle and lower districts. In that building, there are many shops aimed at hunters. Most of the shops are frequented by high-class hunters who have houses in the Central District. Among them, there are even shops that only accept high-level hunters. Basically, this is not a place where a low-level hunter like Akira can go.

There is no hunter level limit at the restaurants designated by Shiori. But there is no doubt that it caters to high-level hunters.

Seeing that this was a high-end restaurant, Akira hesitated. Alpha saw it and said to him.

"Give up?"

"No, I'll go. It's not like entering the ruins of the old world anyway, so don't be afraid. ”

Although Ming said this, he walked in his direction and walked towards the restaurant.

The interior of the restaurant looks luxurious, unlike most restaurants in the Lower District. If he had just returned from the wasteland, covered in dust, or the remnants of blood from a monster, and tried to enter the restaurant, he bet he would have been sent away immediately. If he does the same thing in a tavern or restaurant in the Lower District, though, that's fine. Akira thought nervously.

Although in reality, he can wipe the dust off his body and change into new clothes in the restaurant. It's not uncommon for fine dining restaurants to install showers in restrooms and provide customers with clean suits for rent. Even the restaurant staff are willing to do their dirty laundry if requested.

The staff at the restaurant quickly noticed Akira, who had just entered the store, and greeted him.

"Thank you for coming to our restaurant, do you have a reservation today?"

The staff greeted him warmly, and Akira replied in a panic.

"Huh? Yes? Well, there must already be a person named Shiori in there."

"May I ask your name?"

"It's Akira."

"Good. Lord Akira, please give us your weapons."

Akira hesitated, but finally decided to hand the rifle to the restaurant staff. The staff member politely took Achillas' rifles and placed them on the table beside him.

"Thank you so much for your cooperation, please let me take you to your table."

Aki

a followed the staff member through the cafeteria. The sense of luxury in that restaurant was very different from all the other restaurants he had been to before. Even the soft touch he felt every time he stepped on the carpeted floor showed that it was a completely different world than where Akira lived.

Akira looked around as she walked through the dining room. He could see all sorts of people in the restaurant, all enjoying expensive meals. While some of the people there, such as cyborgs, look out of place to eat in such a luxurious restaurant, all sorts of seemingly expensive foods are laid out in front of these people.

Akira couldn't help but ask Alpha a naïve question.

"Alpha, how do those people eat?"

"Judging by their appearance, they must have at least enough organs to process the food they eat. Or they misunderstand the capabilities of their robot body, believing that their robot body is capable of digesting food. Or they just sent a message of "You know what? ”

"I see. But I don't think they're here to enjoy the view. Having something delicious in front of you, even if you can't eat it, is more like torture for me. ”

"There are all kinds of people out there, you see. There are some things you can't understand unless you're that person. ”

Akira was actually curious about the topic, but she couldn't stand there and observe. So he simply gave up his curiosity and followed the staff in front of him.

Aki

A is directed to Shio

I was already waiting for him at his table. The staff pulled out a chair for him, and he sat on it in a panic. Then the staff put the menu in front of Akira and Shiori.

"Okay, I'll call you when we decide what to order."

"Of course."

The staff bowed and left. Both the staff and Shiori are used to this kind of communication, but Akira can't keep up.

People don't just come here to eat, some hunters choose this restaurant for negotiations to avoid turning negotiations into battles. There are Xiongshan City Management and Hunter Office watching here, no matter how fierce the discussion is, they can only be calm. Thus avoiding the worst-case scenario in which they try to kill each other.

Shiori looks stiff in a fashionable suit. With Aki in clothes that can go to the wasteland at any time

A different, Shio

The IS suit makes her look like some kind of businesswoman. Or more accurately, she looks like the people who live in the Central District.

After seeing Shiori's outfit, Akira lowered her guard. But on the contrary, Shiori saw Achillas's outfit and raised his vigilance, after all, the armor on his body was the same as the one he wore in battle.

Although Akira seems out of place in the dining room, Shiori can always guess Akira's intentions from his appearance. But in reality, Akira had no intention of making an enemy of Shiori at all, and he wore those clothes only because he had no other clothes to wear.

Shiori looked at Akira with a serious face, she had already made up her mind to come here. For some reason, her serious expression looked beautiful.

"Akira-sama, thank you so much for accepting my request. As I promised, I will pay for the meal, please order whatever you want. ”

Hearing this, Akira's gaze shifted to the menu in front of him, but turned back to Shiori's body.

"Say whatever you want to say first, after all, I don't know if I can fully fulfill your request and deserve this reward."

"I see. So let's get to the point. ”

Shiori bowed deeply to Akira.

"First of all, I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble the other day. Thank you very much for saving Milady. I'm sure you're conflicted about me and Milady, but everything that happens there is my fault. If you are willing, I will repay you with all my money, body, and even my life. But in exchange, don't put any blame on Milady. ”

Shiori pleads with Akira. Even Akira understands that Shiori is telling the truth.

Because of Reina's stupidity, Akira's already winning battle took a 180-degree turn. Moreover, Yashima also took Reina hostage and had Shiori fight him. Luckily, they were able to get out of that situation alive, but it wouldn't be surprising if Akira held a grudge against Reina and Shiori because of their actions. Since the servant's fault is the master's fault, Akira may even blame Reina for what happened.

To make sure that Akira doesn't hold a grudge against Reina, Shiori is willing to do anything for him.

Shiori's earnest attitude surprised Akira a little.

"Before I give you an answer, I want to ask you one thing, if you just want to talk to me, why are you sending requests around the headhunter's office?"

"If you accept the request, I at least know you mean well."

Shiori once hired Akira in the dungeon. At the time, he criticized Reina and said something that angered Shiori, but Akira just thought it was part of his duty. He didn't try to do any verbal service because he decided to speak his honest opinion, even though it might cause an argument.

Shio

i thinks it is necessary to know about Aki

The real feeling of AS. Even if Ming had completely regarded Rena and the others as his enemies, it would be nice if he knew. It's also to check if Ming just looks normal on the outside, but on the inside he wants to kill Reina.

Shiori gave Akira her money, body, and even her life, hoping that it would be enough to resolve Akira's resentment. Although it is pure coincidence, Akira is the one who saved Rena after all. Shioli can't deny this fact. But if she didn't, even if she had to fight Akira again, she would have to make up her mind to protect Reina.

Because of this, Shioli needed to know how Minglas really felt about it.

Of course, Aki

A Shio cannot be used

The intent of is read so deeply. But at least, he was ready for whatever could happen, because when he decided to come to that place, he had no intention of lying.

"I see. Let's not talk about whether my answer can satisfy you, I will answer you honestly. So you raise your head and listen well. ”

Shiori looked up, waiting for Aquilas's answer with a serious expression.

Seeing Shiori's serious face, Akira hesitated for a moment, unable to express what she meant.

"You don't have to worry about that, you don't need to do anything. That's all. ”

"Huh?"

Shio

IS's serious expression collapsed, and the reaction to this one word perfectly reflected her true feelings.

Akira continued, sounding awkward.

"Ah, well, what can I say? I guess I have to give a proper explanation, eh. Well, I'll explain everything. So what questions do you have now, listen well. Now that you made that request to me directly through the Hunter's Office, you know my Hunter password, right? Use your information terminal to view my battle history on my Hunter profile page, and you can do that, right? If you can't, I can borrow mine.

"Please don't worry, I understand, please wait for me to check."

Shiori did a little puzzled as Akira had instructed, took out the information terminal, opened the website of the hunter's office, and checked Akira's battle records. But when Shiori opens Aquilas's profile page to check his record of the dungeon's battles, she is shocked.

"What is this?!"

Shiori turned her gaze to Akira in surprise. When she looked at his information page, his battle record was very different from what she knew was happening in the dungeon.

Achillas' battle log states that he monitored the various defenses of the dungeon for 3 days and that nothing major happened during the mission, but on the third day, he was wounded in a battle with monsters and taken to the hospital. That's what Achillas says, or at least, that's what the record is on public display.

Akira then explained to Shiori, who was visibly confused.

"Because of the confidentiality contract managed by the City of Kumayama with the requestor, I can't tell you the details. But that's my combat record, nothing, right? Since nothing has happened between us, I have nothing to do with you. After all, it's not like anything incredible has happened, and if you can't accept my explanation, you can go and discuss it with the chengguan. But, of course, don't get me involved, I don't want to provoke. Chengguan, you know. ”

As a result of the deal with Mullin, Akiras's record of battles in the dungeon was completely rewritten. Akira himself didn't want to say more, he was going to act as if his record was telling the truth.

Because of this, Akira decides to completely forget everything that happened between him and Shiori. Or at least, he had no intention of bringing it up again. While it would be a lie to say that he didn't feel anything, it wasn't enough to justify him for any action. Akira has completely gotten rid of that thing.

Shiori looked at Akira, the hunter who showed the battle record on the information terminal. After observing for a while, Shiori cautiously wanted to understand the situation. She tries to re-examine if there is anything she missed, any lies between them, any misunderstandings, or any implied information that she has not explained, which could make the situation fatally worse.

Shiori asked with a serious face.

"Nothing happened, is it really good?"

"yes, nothing ever happened, after all."

"I see. As a thank you for coming to me to confirm this, you can go for whatever you want. ”

Shiori laughed and urged Akira to bring the menu to him.

"In that case, I'm not going to back down."

With that, Akira took the menu in front of her. Shiori patted her chest and breathed a sigh of relief. Now that she's settled the matter with him, she has nothing to worry about.

Akira snorted as she read the menu. There were all sorts of dishes written on the menu, and although he could read the letters, he didn't know what they were.

“Alpha。 This A

a

douse G

ie New Palies Style with Elia

es something, what kind of dish is this? ”

"I don't know, but it seems to be some kind of meat dish."

"Well, it's written under the meat dish, it must be a meat dish, but I don't know what it is."

Achillas' snort grew longer as he continued to read the menu. Shiori could guess what he was thinking from his demeanor, and said with a smile.

"Lord Akira, I'm going to order today's special. Usually the dishes are well matched, if you don't know what to choose, why don't you order today's specials? If you still want to eat more, you can order more. "After that."

"Then I'll take that."

Of course, he was free to pick any dish from the menu, but due to bad luck, he could end up ordering strange things by mistake, so he decided to avoid doing it and accepted Shio

is the proposal.

Shiori called the waitress and ordered food for her table. Their order arrived quickly. Akira looked at all the dishes in front of her and realized that she didn't know anything about them. For him, all this looks just as expensive and tasty. Akira let out a long uh-huh, nervously reaching for one of the plates and putting it in her mouth.

He was overwhelmed when the taste exploded in his mouth. Akira almost passed out on his tongue, but he could barely survive the onslaught. Because he knows from experience that losing his cool can lead to fatal situations.

Aki

a chewed, enjoyed, and relish the dish slowly, and he didn't even know how it was cooked or what was inside. It was a wonderful dining experience that changed his palate. It's a pleasure he can never find in a slum city.

Akira looked completely frightened and about to be scared away, and Alpha asked him worriedly.

"Akira, are you alright?"

"Ahh

Aki

Instead of using telepathy, A unexpectedly answers Alpha's question out loud. So in short, he's not good at all.

Shiori was confused by Akira's sudden words.

"Not to your taste?"

"Huh? Ah no, it doesn't matter. It was so good that it blew me away. ”

Akira looked strange and answered Shilis's question in a panic. Shiori smiled at him and felt that his behavior was strange.

"I'm glad it suits your taste perfectly. There is no time limit, so you can enjoy your meal slowly. ”

"Oh, okay."

Akira was somehow able to answer before he could start eating again. Now that he has experienced it, Ming is no longer surprised and continues to eat.

Alpha didn't speak, just watched Akira eat. Because she was afraid that if she said anything, he might make another mistake.

Shiori was eating while looking at Akira. Seeing him eating with a smile on his face, he didn't look like a person who could force her to use the ace acceleration pill and be on an equal footing with her. He looks like an ordinary little boy who can be found in the city.

But even so, Shiori didn't let her guard down on Akira. More precisely, after knowing what she had just heard today, she was more cautious in dealing with Akira.

Achillas' battle record was completely rewritten. Compared to his real record, his tattered new record is a big relegation. But even so, Akira doesn't seem to be bothered by this. Therefore, it can be speculated that Chengguan made some kind of deal with him, which brought him enough benefits that he did not mind his new record at all.

[This kid is so good that he asked the chengguan to give him a good deal. This means that the chengguan acknowledges his abilities as a hunter. With someone like him around, there should be at least some rumors about him, but the information network of Drarankham does not have any information about him at all. Although D

a

KAM is recruiting new young and promising hunters to expand its sphere of influence, but it doesn't seem to be trying to recruit him. I guess I need to investigate further because the gang hasn't found him yet, or because the gang deliberately kept it a secret from him. But it can be a dangerous thing to do. I have to avoid anything that could hurt Milady]

Shiori was eating while paying full attention to the person in front of her. All the while, Alpha was preoccupied with Shiori.

Akira didn't notice Alpha staring at Shiori, his attention was focused on enjoying the meal in front of him.

Aki

As's stomach was soothed by the delicious food, and when he finally regained some composure to resist that pleasure, there was only dessert left in front of him. He could have ordered more, but because he didn't want to leave any leftover food, he decided not to.

Akira scooped a spoonful of the delicious mouth-watering dessert in front of her eyes. Shiori did the same thing when she asked Akira.

"So, Master Ming, do you always work alone?"

He indulges in the taste of dessert, but Akira manages to answer Shilis's question anyway.

"Yes, I'm always alone. While I did say always, I haven't been a hunter for long. ”

Xi Ori wants to know more about Akira during the meal, but this is the first question that Akira can seriously answer. During the meal, she asked her questions, which he could only vaguely answer, as if his heart was somewhere else, of course, because his mind was indeed filled with the taste of the food he ate. Because of this, Shioli has not been able to gather much information about Akira until now.

"Aren't you going to recruit more, or join a gang? Whether it's hunting monsters or exploring ruins, I'm sure it's not an easy task. ”

"Well, that's true. But now, I'm much more comfortable working alone, and there are many reasons. When I'm alone, I don't need to fight for rewards, and I'm not really a team player. Person. So instead of causing a fight in a group, I'd better do my job alone.

Shiori has a friendly smile on the surface, but she is actually trying to gather information about Akira. She kept asking him questions as they both enjoyed the dessert in front of them. While for Akira, she asks ordinary questions, Shiori is actually carefully selecting her questions.

Akira also asks Shiori about any questions that come to his mind. Most of his questions are about her and Rei

a Affiliation group, D

a

kam。

"Oh, so they're gathering young hunters, aren't they?"

"yes. The current drunkards are trying to recruit more young hunters, and now it seems that they are even willing to accept beginners who have just registered their names in the hunter's office. ”

"I know it sounds strange for someone like me to say this, but what's the point of giving a gun to a complete beginner? They're going to die soon, right? ”

Aki

As and Shio

🔥 The understanding of the word "beginner" is very different. Unlike the previous Akira, Dramakam would not accept any Rank 1 Hunters. Be at least a level 10 hunter and have your name registered at the hunter's office in order to be admitted to them.

Although there was a slight misunderstanding between them, it was not enough to interrupt their conversation.

Shiori then replied.

"In the worst-case scenario, some gangs will deliberately lure novice hunters into joining their gang, just to use them as meat shields or bait. It is true that there are many young hunters who will die soon, depending on the quality of the gang they join. To avoid such a thing, D

a

KAM offers a lot of support programs, such as setting up training periods for young hunters or lending them better equipment to improve their combat capabilities.

"Equipment, well, equipment does matter."

Akira remembered that he had gone to the wasteland with only a pistol, and Akira muttered to herself. For him now, this is nothing short of stupid and suicidal.

"Well, what can I say, I always thought that the gangs were just sacrificing young hunters. But I guess some of them aren't that bad either, huh. ”

The people who work as officials are the ones who first decide on these support programs. So I can't really blame the young hunters and the old hunters as a whole. ”

Aki

A remembered Shika

Abe and Katsuya. Those two people seem to be watery, but they don't seem to be just a matter of personal affinity.

"It reminds me of the two people Hakube and Katsuya, is that the case again? Are those two people at odds because of this relationship? ”

"Kabe-sama and Katsuya-sama, huh? I've only heard that Kabe-sama was once assigned to take care of Katsuya-sama, and they don't get along. Although to be honest, I don't think it's because of the Katsuya-samas group failure"

Shiori's expression looked a little contradictory. After that, they start talking about Katsuya, which sounds like Shiori is complaining, and Akiya is forced to listen to her.

According to Shiori's story, in D

a

Of all the young hunters of kam, Katsuya seems to be a fairly skilled hunter. At the request of the dungeon, Katsuya actively works with other skilled hunters to fulfill his duties. As a result, his group of young hunters, among the others, were very skilled. It seems that the young hunters in Drarankham have even formed a faction headed by Katsuya.

Because of his skills as a young hunter, the gang pinned all their hopes on Katsuya to demonstrate the success of their young hunter support program. But if that's all there is to it, it shouldn't be enough for Shiori to make that kind of expression. The real problem is its side effects.

Katsu is also appreciated by other young hunters, especially members of the opposite sex. He is handsome and, although skilled, is not arrogant. In short, he has a good chance of becoming a good hunter with a stable income in the future. In this way, it is not surprising that the young huntress adores him.

Some of them end up falling in love with him, even though they approach him at first just for the money. After Katsuya saves them, some of them fall in love with him. Some of them are getting closer to each other after recognizing each other's skills. Basically, a lot of girls are on his side. Some of them even fought each other in the background to be able to be on the same team as Katsuya.

The same goes for Reina. At first, Rena just looked at Katsuya with disdain, thinking that he was just an unruly boy. But after recognizing his skills, Rena begins to fall in love with Katsuya, though she herself is not aware of it. Shiori noticed that this was one of the reasons why Reina forcibly teamed herself with Katsuya.

Shiori sounded a little impatient, and her voice became a little higher.

"If Katsuya-sama is honest with Milady, I have nothing to complain about. However, even though he doesn't seem to be going out with anyone, Katsuya-sama never makes it clear and always only gives vague answers, as if he is trying to woo Milady. Not to mention the fact that he is surrounded by more and more girls every day! Just because he didn't do it on purpose, doesn't mean it's okay to keep doing it!!

"I see it"

Akira swallowed her after-meal coffee in one gulp and could only answer awkwardly. This is already his third cup of coffee. Even in Shio

After ordering 2 more plates of dessert after their first dessert, they had already finished their dessert.

"Katsuya-sama is indeed a skilled hunter, and he will definitely become a great hunter in the future. You could even say that he has this heroism. But there are limits to everything!! Even if he can do this with his own ability, if he wants to build a harem, he can go to the Western District to be a nobleman or a king or something!! After all, I heard that having a harem is the norm for kings and nobles. 「

To be honest, Akira doesn't care at all. Moreover, if they go through countless dangerous situations together, the distance between them will only get closer. Although Ming thinks so, if he answers honestly, it will only make Shiori's mood worse.

Taking this meeting as a request, Ming carefully chose his own wording in order to seek a compromise so as not to violate his principles. Then he replied awkwardly.

"Mmmmmmmm So, I don't know much about this kind of thing, and to be honest, even if you ask me, I don't think I can give you any good advice. "Hmm. So uh, I'm not on his side either. But since he is a hunter, it is normal for him and his companions to face life and death situations every day, and such things are not so unexpected, right? ”

"But, Katsuya-sama wants to hit me too, you know?!! Not to mention that Miledi was there for me at the time!! That's just huh? I'm sorry."

Shiori is interrupted by a call notification. She apologizes to Akira and checks her information terminal.

"I'm really sorry, but it's a call from my company. Looks like I'm going to have to say goodbye here. What about Akira-sama? If you want to order more, this will be your last chance."

"No, thanks, I'm full now, and I'm gone. Thank you so much for hosting me such a delicious meal. ”

Akira had already eaten quite a few dishes, and the last clearing in her stomach was already stuffed with coffee and dessert. Not wanting to turn the entrance of the meal into an outlet, Akira reluctantly decided to stop there.

While Shiori was paying, Akira got his gun back. When he hears the total bill for their meal, he decides to forget about it, convincing himself that he must have heard it wrong.

With his current earning power, it is unlikely that he will ever come to this restaurant again in his life. After leaving the restaurant, Akira thanked Shiori again and went home.

After Akira left, Shiori picked up the information terminal and called her colleague.

"It's me, please tell Milady, I'm on my way back now."

"Okay. So, are you alright? He didn't tear your limbs, did he? The eldest lady is really worried, you know. ”

The person who spoke to Shiori said something terrible that had nothing to do with her. Xili immediately replied with a serious face.

"It's okay. Ding, you didn't say anything superfluous to Milady, did you?"

"We just had some small talk about the current situation."

"More precisely, what are you girls talking about?"

"A lot of things, like Milady's hunter, or any interesting hunter Milady's acquaintance. Then we also talked about dungeons. Milady also told me the story of how you almost got killed, you know? You're going to meet the hunter today, right? ”

Shiori sounded angry and said to Ding sternly.

"Didn't I tell you not to talk about dungeons when you talked to Milady?"

"You know, because of the fluidity of the conversation, we somehow ended up talking about that. Unlike you, I'm basically a soldier, so I'm not good at that kind of stuff. If you have anything to complain about, then you should come back and come back here as soon as possible. ”

"I'm already on my way."

Shiori hung up the phone after speaking.

***

In a mansion in the central area behind the city wall, a young girl in a maid's costume looked at her information terminal, smiled slightly, and just hung up the phone. It's Shioli's colleague Ding.

Although she looks like a young girl, her age is unknown. However, there is a hint of innocence in her smile. From the outside, however, it was just a mischievous smile.

Ding muttered to himself as he imagined what kind of expression Shiori would make.

"She sounded angry."

Although Ding wears an ordinary maid's outfit, it is actually made of reinforced fiber, which is bulletproof and stab-proof. It is more or less as strong as the armor commonly used by hunters. The reason why Ding wears such armor is because in an emergency, in order to protect Reina, she needs to withstand the blow. The black leggings that extended from under the skirt were part of the enhanced suit she wore underneath the maid's uniform.

Ding was there as Reynas's bodyguard. Although the job of a bodyguard is similar to that of Shiori, unlike Shiori, her duties do not extend to taking care of Reina. Ding is actually a soldier with no maid skills, so she is not usually assigned to such a job. The maid outfit is only to disguise herself, not to cause a commotion in the central district, and only to the preference of the employer.

After closing the information terminal, she returned to Renas's room. Since Shiori was taken to the hospital after her fight with Akira, Rina was told to suspend her hunter work until Shiori recovered. While Ding spoke to her, Reina was studying in her room.

"My lord, Anesan is already on his way back."

"Big sister? Ahh Well, she's okay, right?"

"It seems that she is not injured, and she also said that Shell will come back as soon as possible, and I am sure she will be fine."

"Thank goodness you were the ones who told me these things that worried me, you know. Don't scare me like that anymore. ”

Rena looked relieved, but her face turned stern as she scolded Ding.

Kana quickly replied.

"When a man dies, he dies. This is especially true for such a dangerous job as a hunter. It takes a lot of determination for you to voluntarily go out of the walls, you know? ”

Rena said, sounding impatient.

"Well, that's true, but still"

After handing over the position to Ding, Shiori quickly went out without even telling Reina where to go. It was also Reina who told Ding to check that Xili was safe.

All the while, Ding was whispering to Reina about worrying that Shiori might not be able to come back alive. After confirming Shiori's safety, Reina realizes that everything Ding said was just a joke. If not, just her honest opinion.

In fact, Shiori had already done leaving a will and instructions before she even went to see Akira, just in case she died, wrapping up the rest.

When Kanae sent Sirise away, she somehow understood her thoughts. She thought as she carefully made sure it didn't appear on her face.

[Anesan asked me to assume she's dead and act accordingly if I can't reach her for 24 hours.] If she is killed, she will even arrange for soldiers to be dispatched. Although we are in a dangerous situation now, and the eldest sister may be killed, Mirati's sense of danger is still too naïve. ]

Ding realizes how innocent Rena is, but she doesn't feel unpleasant at all. It can be said that it is because Shiori has always been by her side to support Reina and live a comfortable life. If she makes another mistake, things may go in Ding's favor.

Ding is a battle maniac, and she knows that very well. So as long as she is paid enough and is able to go through a good fight, she won't complain about her employer.

Shio

The duty of is to teach Rei

aAvoid any unnecessary dangers. So Ding didn't intend to fix Renas's sense of danger.

It didn't take long for Shioli to arrive. After changing into a maid's outfit, she went to explain to Rena why she was out.

Although the incident with Akira has been resolved, she may make a similar mistake if Rina is not made aware of the seriousness of the situation. So, Shiori carefully explained everything to Reina.

After listening to Shiori's explanation, Rena asked Shiori.

"So, basically, Akira isn't angry or anything, is he?"

"Since nothing happened, there's nothing to be angry about. At least that's where Akira-sama stands. So, just to be on the safe side, I want to tell Milady that Milady shouldn't try to thank him or apologize to him for that. Nothing happened between us. Not only would doing so lead to a problem back to square one, but it could also be seen as a form of harassment because of Aki

Mr. A has signed a confidentiality contract with the city hall. So, be extra careful with this topic. ”

It was a big disappointment for Reina, as her mistake caused so much trouble that not only could she not say sorry, but she also couldn't express her gratitude after she got herself and Shiori saved by Akira. But if that would give Aki

a Brings more problems, that's a different story entirely.

Rena said, her tone full of apologies.

"I understand, I understand now."

Shiori finally understood Rena's thoughts, and said with a smile.

"I have expressed our gratitude and apologies to Lord Akira, and it seems that he also enjoyed the meal. So I'm sure Milady shouldn't worry anymore. ”

Kana interjected with a smile.

"My lord, if you're still angry about being abandoned there, I can go and beat him up in secret, you know?"

Reina and Shiori immediately turned their heads to Ding, casting a strong gaze at her. Ding pretended to be a joke and shrunk back.

"Oops, I think I've gone too far. You know, like, I just thought saying something like that would cheer everyone up, completely without malice, okay? Milady, too, is not a saint, so I just thought about it, there's no way Miladyy wouldn't be angry about that part, okay? Ah, I'm sorry if I'm wrong here. ”

Reina and Shiori still glared at Ding with a deathly glare.

"Stop."

"Stop there, Kanae."

Reina and Shiori are not completely ill-intentioned towards Akira. Although he really had no obligation or reason to save Rina, it was clear that he had abandoned her and died in that incident. But it was all because of Renas's fault, and in the end he did save both of them. So neither Rina nor Shiori brazenly vented their frustrations to Akira.

Ding then apologized softly.

"I'm just kidding. I'm sorry I've gone too far. ”

Ding is actually curious to know the true strength of Minglas, because even if Shiori uses her trump card, he can be equal to Shiori. Ding even tried to pretend that he didn't know anything, or misunderstood the information given to her to get involved with Akira. But after seeing Shiori and Reina's reaction, she decides to abandon the plan.

[Put Mirati aside, even Anesan, who is only thinking about Mirati, will have such a reaction.] This Akira guy must be a very dangerous guy. Yes, it's interesting. ]

Unlike Shiori, Ding is not very loyal to her employer and the people she was assigned as bodyguards. Although she could feel their gratitude; Generous remuneration and a pleasant working environment are more attractive. Ding may cover for Rena, or even sacrifice herself, but that's because it's her job, not because of her loyalty to Rena.

Ding is also well aware of Shiori's loyalty to Reina. That's why she couldn't believe that Shiori didn't have any resentment towards Ming who gave up the object of her loyalty and died. If it's really true, then it makes a lot of sense.

She could come up with two possible causes. One is because Shiori's gratitude to Akira who saved Rena outweighs her resentment. Two, because Shiori is afraid to express her resentment towards Akira.

Ding smiled lightly, hoping it was the latter.

Akira seemed to be in a good mood as she took a bath in the house while recalling the taste of the food she had eaten at the restaurant that day. As usual, Alpha was also in that tub with him. Although there is a goddess-level naked beauty by his side, for Akira, who has reached an age where food is more interesting than a girl, his mind is full of memories of those foods, so much so that he ignores them. There are even more alphas than usual.

"That's amazing. I would like to go again. I think I have one more reason to make more money now, eh. ”

"It's good that you can discover more of what you can enjoy in life, but you can't go there with your current income, you know?"

"You're right. Now that I think about it, I didn't really think about the price at the time, huh. I really can't go to that restaurant anymore until I can at least treat that meal money as if it were nothing. ”

Hunter is an expensive job, there is a cost for equipment, ammunition, treatment in case of injury. It is very difficult for Akira to go to that restaurant with his own money to eat. It's not that he can't pay the bills, but it means that he has to cut other expenses, which increases his chances of being killed. At least, the day when he has a steady income to cover his expenses, he'll have to stay with frozen food.

"Now that I think about it, there were a lot of cyborgs in that restaurant, I wonder if they ate at the end? If they eat it, what happens to the food they eat? ”

"For cyborgs who have an organic furnace installed in their bodies, the food they eat is broken down and then converted into energy or merged with their biological organs. But for those cyborgs who don't have such a thing, I'm sure they'll take the food out of their bodies later. ”

"And then?"

"Throw them away, I guess."

"So it's basically purely for their eyes to be happy, huh. I'm willing to bet those cyborgs have a lot of money on them, so they can even enjoy such luxuries. ”

Akira looked angry. For growing up in the slums, eating was a matter of life and death, and he felt disgusted by such behavior. But this is so important for cyborgs that there is a need to develop food for cyborgs. After all, it's something that affects their mental health.

"Well, just because they have replaced their biological organs with mechanical ones, it does not eliminate their desire to eat and drink. In exchange for a body stronger than their organism, they must solve the problems they may have. With an organism it is easy to solve. Of course, having high-quality cyborg bodies allows them to solve these problems easily, but I believe they cost much more. Moreover, only a very small number of people can afford those employees of large companies, people from super-rich families, or hunters who work on the front lines. ”

"It does sound expensive, I can't even afford to sell a bunch of relics, but now that I think about it, those relic hunters are cyborgs too, right? They also took the opportunity to steal those relics, even if they were going to fight with the chengguan, I don't know if they would have to pay so much money to buy the body of this robot. ”

Akira remembered Nelia and Yajima. Until now, no matter how much money he had, Akira had never thought about how much money was worth competing with the chengguan. But this may not be the case for those who have been turned into cyborgs by some accident or attacked by monsters and have to live in a body that can't even handle food. For them, getting a high-quality cyborg body that can process food like a normal organism and then using it to enjoy expensive meals in a fancy restaurant is like a dream come true. Akira had tasted the thrill of such a delicious meal, and he finally understood why someone with a cyborg body would do such a thing.

That night, Akira had a dream. He fights Nelia in his dreams.

Akira desperately dodged Neriath's attacks, wielding her sword with both hands. Although it was hard to move freely due to the rubble all around, neither Akira nor Nelia was at all disturbed by the rubble.

There is no chance that Akira can fight back. Because of their large technical gap, he could only barely survive the onslaught of Nerias. Akira was defenseless in her dreams. Nelia is not someone Akira can defeat without weapons, and his punches and kicks can't hurt her cyborg body at all. What's more, if he tries to attack her, Nelia might even cut off his limbs.

Akira turned to Alpha and asked in a panic.

"My rifle?! Where's my CWH antimatter rifle?! I can't win this battle without it!! ”

"You lost your CWH antimatter rifle, remember? You'll need to buy a new one from Shizuka later. ”

"Ah, yes!!"

Although a lot of strange things happen, Akira doesn't realize that she is dreaming.

"Now that I think about it, I did go to Shizuka's store not long ago, right?! Then why didn't I buy one at the time?! ”

"You can't use that rifle without the Enhancement Set, you know? You also lost the booster set, remember? ”

"Ah, you're right! Well, wait? ”

Akira looked puzzled as she checked her gear. He didn't wear his augmentation suit, not even armor, but the kind of durable clothes he got from Mulin.

When he realized this, his movements immediately became sluggish. After all, without his augmentation, Alpha would not be able to support her, and his physical abilities would return to normal.

When his movements became sluggish, Nelia did not miss this opportunity and quickly rushed towards Akira. He could see Nerias' blade chasing his neck in slow motion.

[Ah, I'm dead.] ]

As the thought crossed Achillas' mind, Neriath's blade separated his head from his body.

[I really wish I could at least taste those foods again]

It was his last thought, and he looked down at the headless body lying to the ground in front of him, his consciousness swallowed by the darkness.

Akira suddenly woke up from her dream. He looked around and found himself on the bed in the room. It was already dark because it was still early in the morning. Trembling, he moved his hand to his neck. When he confirmed that his neck was still attached to his body, he realized that it was just a dream.

"Just a dream, huh."

Alpha asked Akira with a worried face.

"Are you okay?"

"yes, I just had a weird dream. But I'm okay now. ”

Even after answering, Akira's gaze did not take his eyes off Alpha.

Actually, Aki

A did survive the fight against Nelia. But in his dream, he loses the support of Alpha and is killed by Nellia.

Akira is no different from the Akira in his dreams. If, for some reason, he loses the support of Alpha, he may die as if in a dream.

[The me in that dream, which is the current me, has real strength. 】

Thanks to his luck, he was able to meet Alpha and has had her support since then. This is the only thing that kept Akira alive until now. But even he didn't know how long his luck would last.

Akira kept staring at Alpha without saying a word, just said with a mischievous smile.

"What's wrong? Are you in love with my beauty again? ”

Akira kept a serious expression.

"Alpha, how long are you going to support me?"

Alpha sounded confused when he replied.

"I certainly intend to support you until you complete my request. Why do you ask this question all of a sudden? ”

"I just thought, instead of asking me, wouldn't it be better to ask those veteran hunters? The reason you signed the contract with me is because I can connect the realms of the old world, right? So for example, I'm sure I'm not the only hunter in this world who can connect to the realm of the Old World. I bet if you're looking for a better hunter, right? Ah, instead of looking for another person to connect to the realm of the old world, I can send a request in your name to fulfill yours, right? ”

Hearing Achillas' answer, Alpha stared into his eyes. Akira stared at her, too, waiting for her answer. There was silence for a moment before she answered his question with a serious face.

"I have no plans to neither interrogate you nor make you admit what makes you think I might stop supporting you. But I'm at least going to make you understand that. My support is just an upfront payment to complete my request...... So I'll follow you until you complete my request, even if you don't want me. ”

"I see, you're right."

"Yes."

Thanks to Aki

A has the support of Alpha, and he is obligated to complete her request. Even if he thinks it would be better for her to replace him, even if that's true, Alpha won't let him leave her, that's what she means between the lines.

Hear Alphas' answer, Aki

A breathed a sigh of relief. Truth be told, he even felt a little guilty about having such a great support from Alpha because he sometimes felt unworthy. But on the other hand, somewhere inside of him, Akira knew that Alpha had said that to him on purpose, because she knew it would give him a sense of reassurance.

Akira said with a smile.

"I see, then I'll go back to sleep."

Alpha replied with a smile.

"Good night, I hope you can have a good dream this time."

"I think it'll be fine."

Akira lay on the bed again. The worries were gone, and he soon fell asleep again.

For some reason, I'm pretty sure that even if I have the same dream again, it won't end like before.