The World Is Overflowing with Monster, I’m Taking a Liking to This Life - Chapter 142: Epilogue - With Companions

Chapter 142: Epilogue – With Companions

I regain consciousness and slowly open my eyes.

“Ah, are you awake?”

Right in front of me is the face of Ichinose-san.

And this soft sensation that’s being transmitted to the back of my head… Is this perhaps a lap pillow?

When I signal her through my eyes, Ichinose-san looks away.

“Ah, no, this is… I figured it wouldn’t be appropriate to leave you lying down on the ground…ah, but then again, my knees might not be that much … awawa.”

“… That’s not true.”

For some reason, I feel much better now.

Thank you very much.

“Wan!”

“Kyu!”

“Furu furu.”

Besides my feet are Momo, Kiki, and Aka.

They appear relieved now that I have woken up.

“Momo, Aka, Kiki… you were all safe.”

“We were able to beat it somehow…”

“Yes…”

When I check my status, I find something called “Evolutionary Paths” added to it along with a large amount of SP and JP.

The announcement did mention how my racial level reached the upper limit…

Is it possible for me to evolve like Momo and Kiki?

Using my finger that can barely move, I tap on the option called “Evolutionary Paths”.

More than 10 evolutionary paths get listed on the screen.

High Human, Elf, Dwarf, Halfling, Demon, Lizardman, Giant, Beastman, etc.

At a glance, I can tell that there are more than 10 races which I could choose from.

All of them are races which people would typically see in games.

I was speculating that there would be demi-humans considering the monsters that are roaming around, but I never imagined learning about their existence in this manner.

“…Are you perhaps looking at the ‘Evolutionary Path’ option?”

“…You too, Ichinose-san?”

Ichinose-san nods.

It becomes apparent when I check the information about my party members through the status screen.

*****

Party Members

Momo

Dark Dog LV1

Aka

Creation Slime LV1

Ichinose Natsu

LV30

Kiki

Carbuncle LV1

*****

Ichinose-san has reached level 30.

Not only that, Momo has evolved into a Dark Dog, Aka has evolved into a Creation Slime, and Kiki has evolved into a Carbuncle.

By defeating the Golem, everyone must have received a staggering amount of experience.

“… As per usual, you appearances haven’t changed at all.”

“Wan!”

‘Furu furu♪.”

Momo barks happily when I pat her head.

Aka also trembles in delight when I stroke it.

“Kyu.”

Stroke me as well!

Kiki rubs herself against me in a plea.

Only Kiki’s appearance has changed a little.

The shape of the jewel on her forehead has changed into a hexagon, but that’s all there is to it, so I’ll regard it as a percent error.

“So humans can also evolve. This world is becoming more and more like a game.”

“That seems to be the case.”

“By the way, what route is Ichinose-san going to choose?”

“Well, I put it on hold for the time being. I thought it would be better to discuss with Kudou-san before deciding…”

“You’re right. The battle’s over, so we can think this through slo— oh!”

Just as I am about to finish my sentence, I get startled.

Ichinose-san trembles slightly.

“Speaking of which, what happened to Nishino-kun and the others? Are they okay?”

“Please calm down. They’re safe. I just received a ‘Mail’ from Ricchan. They have defeated Alpha. Fujita-san and Kudou-san’s colleagues are unharmed as well.”

“Is that so… that’s good…”

For a moment, I was nervous about what might have happened to them, but apparently things went well over there too.

Ichinose-san grasps onto my hand tightly just as I let go of the tension in my body.

“Kudou-san.”

“…Yes.”

“I’m… really glad…”

Tears fall on my cheeks.

“I…I was scared…I thought I’d die… and never be able to see Kudou-san or Ricchan again…”

Ichinose-san was prepared to die during the battle, but now that everything is over, all her emotions are being poured out at once.

“So I’m glad that… I’m able to talk to Kudou-san again… and that I can pat Momo-chan and the others….I’m so glad…u~u~u…”

“It’s okay. It’s okay… I won’t die, and I won’t let Ichinose-san be harmed either. Let’s be together forever.”

“Ves…”

I say something that’s a bit heavy, but Ichinose-san stops crying thanks to that.

Ah, her face is really messy…

Please wipe your face with my handkerchief and blow your nose while you’re at it.

You don’t have to return it to me by the way.

“After a short break, we should head back to everyone.”

There’s still a lot that has to be done… but for now, let me take a little break.

I close my eyes for a while with the warmth of Momo, Kiki, Aka, and Ichinose-san surrounding me.

*****

I’ll briefly explain what happened afterwards.

If I were to start from the conclusion, the City Hall successfully completed its quest.

The only thing holding us back was the subjugation of the two Named Monsters.

As for the other two conditions, they weren’t a big issue.

On the last day of the time limit, the City Hall secured the necessary amount of personnel.

Magic stones weren’t an issue either as a lot of them were obtained through defeating the Ants.

However, the losses were not small.

In this battle, a large number of casualties arose from both the members of the City Hall and the students under Nishino-kun.

With the survivors from the Self Defense Force joining us, the City Hall’s overall strength remained unchanged, but that was only in terms of numbers.

The wounds left behind by the passing of friends did not heal so easily.

The bodies of the dead were yet to be recovered as the maintenance of the base was prioritized over that.

“… How insignificant human life has become in this world…”

Someone who we conversed with just yesterday could be found dead the next morning.

Such an event was becoming a daily occurrence.

Even so, people trudged on with their lives.

*****

Outside the windows of the corridor, I can see a pile of rubble that was left behind by the Golem.

Mayor Uesugi is taking the lead to remove the debris from the perimeter of the City Hall.

To a certain extent, he has already removed them by using the “Defense Function” and the “Garbage Disposal Function” from his skill “Town Development”, but he wasn’t able to dispose of everything due to the sheer quantity.

(My Item Box has already hit its storage limit…)

When I tried to store as much rubble into the Item Box as possible while making sure that no one was watching, it eventually reached the maximum capacity.

For the longest time, I didn’t know how much the Item Box could store, but I was able to confirm it this time around.

By fulfilling all the conditions, the mayor’s “Town Development” rose in level, allowing the Safety Zone to be maintained and expanded.

The conditions for the next level-up are yet another round of securing magic stones and residents, but there isn’t a time limit.

That being the case, the mayor decided to avoid leveling up the skill until we laid down a solid foundation.

I think it’s the right decision to do so.

All hell would break loose if he rushes the upgrade and is presented by another subjugation mission telling us to slay Named Monsters within the time limit.

As I walk down the hallway, I hear some voices in the distance.

“Fujita-san! Didn’t we decide yesterday to ban smoking inside the City Hall?”

“No, but Touka-chan…smoking isn’t that big of a deal in this world…”

“Rules are rules! As someone at the top, you must act as people’s role model! With that said, I’ll be confiscating this!”

“A-ah.”

“Ahaha, Ichirou is lame.”

“Nahaha, Ichiro so lame.”

“Shut up! Why don’t you guys be quiet for a moment?”

“Don’t use such vulgar words in front of Shiori and Shido! What would you do if they begin imitating you?”

Fujita-san and the Student Council President are bickering.

Why did Fujita-san appear on the battlefield with the Student Council President?

I found out the reason earlier on.

As I predicted, Fujita-san and the SDF members were attacked by powerful monsters after parting with me.

It was then that the Student Council President and the twins passed by.

—Her original intention should have been to take control over the SDF members.

I can’t imagine the Student Council President helping others in good faith.

However, she never expected to come across Fujita-san there.

“To think that Fujita-san and the Student Council President are parent and child…”

A surprising truth.

Fujita-san did bring up the fact that he was divorced, but I never thought that he was the father of the twins and the Student Council President.

She is also well acquainted with Mayor Uesugi.

In fact, she had known Mayor Uesugi since she was a baby, so she was reluctant about using her skills on her father and Mayor Uesugi, the latter who was like her real grandparent.

After arriving at the City Hall, she was persuaded by the two of them to fight on the battlefield together.

The world is really small.

“Touka-chan, how about leaving it at that? Fujita-san also seems to be reflecting on it.”

“Shimizu-san, you can’t spoil him so much. Do you know how much of a bother this human trash was to me, my mother, and grandpa – no, Mayor Uesugi?”

“Hey, is that how you were taught to speak to your father?”

“Huh?”

“I’m sorry.”

Apparently, Fujita-san was quite the troublemaker when he was young.

I walk pass the father and daughter pair who are still arguing.

As long as Fujita-san and Mayor Uesugi are present, she won’t be doing anything suspicious.

In fact, although she’s complaining right now, she’s showing signs of actively cooperating with the others.

In a sense, things are rolling in a positive direction.

(On a separate note, I wonder why Titan was aiming for the City Hall…)

Only that remains a mystery.

Nishino-kun hypothesized that Titan might be protecting something in the area, but in the end, the reason remains unknown.

Then again, we’ve already defeated Titan, so there’s no need to think deeply on the topic.

I climb up the stairs and open the door leading to the rooftop.

A clear blue sky greets me.

I look around here and there before spotting the person I am looking for shrunk in the corner of a fence.

She notices me as well and waves at me lightly.

“Thank you for your hard work. Are you in good shape now?”

“Yes, I feel much better.”

After regrouping with Nishino-kun and the others, Ichinose-san and I fell into a slumber that lasted about 2 days.

It was probably because of the backlash from all the skill usages and the tension.

I woke up on a bed in the Napping Room and heard about everything from Nishino-kun.

I sit down next to Ichinose-san.

For a while, both of us gaze at the sky without speaking.

The silence continued for God knows how long.

““Um…””

Our voices overlap in perfect harmony.

We also say “Please go on” simultaneously as well.

We laugh at the awkward situation.

“Then, Kudou-san, please go first.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you.”

I open up my status plate.

At the bottom, I spot something called “The Right to Question”.

It’s a bonus skill I acquired when we defeated Titan.

The screen changes when I tap it with my finger.

—“Please Input Your Question”—

There is a space below the text where I can input questions.

“I tried out the skill several times.”

“…And?”

Ichinose-san looks at me in a curious manner.

“I understood a lot of things about skills and occupations. Also, I was briefly informed about how this world was formed.”

“The Right to Question” does not answer all questions clearly.

However, it has clarified about skills, occupations, and the formation of the world to some extent.

Why did monsters appear in the world?

What is this world in the first place?

When I entered these questions, the answer I got back was as such:

—This world is a new world formed by the fusion of two worlds.

Two worlds.

It appears that this strange world was born when the world we were originally in and the world where monsters roamed were joined together.

“I also entered questions about how we can annihilate the monsters and how we can return the world to its original form, but I didn’t receive any answers.”

Is it because I don’t have enough authority to ask yet, or is it because these questions do not have “answers”…?

Either way, we just have to focus on surviving in this world.

If I am honest, I was very disappointed.

Somewhere in my heart, I expected there to be a way to revert the world back into its original form.

Regardless, we have something that can act as our guidebook in the future.

I won’t be relying too much on “The Right to Question”, but the skill is nevertheless very important.

“What are we going to do now?”

Ichinose-san asks a question.

“Well… I’m planning on having us stay here for some time.”

There are some things which I wish to investigate.

Furthermore, we have been so busy ever since the world changed.

There’s nothing wrong with taking some breaks.

“We will have to live with others, so… it might be difficult for Ichinose-san.”

“That’s not the case!”

Ichinose-san shakes her head and holds my hand tightly as if to assert that this is her place.

“I’ll stay here with you! You promised to stay with me forever.”

“…Of course.”

But of course.

To respond to her feelings, I also put some strength into my hand.

“…Ah.”

When I look closely, I find out that Ichinose-san’s face is bright red.

She turns away from me.

“…”

Watching her behave this way, I also become strangely embarrassed.

S-strange. Why is my heart beating so much?

And my face feels strangely…hot?

“…….”

“…….”

What should I do?

The door to the rooftop opens with a bang amidst the silence.

“Found Natsun and onii-san!”

“Wan!”

Rikka-chan and Momo appears.

Behind them are Nishino-kun and Shibata-kun.

“Both of you, stop slacking and help us! We still have a lot to do!”

“Thas right! And why are ya two here alone? Ya didn’t do anything nasty to Ichinose, right?”

“Calm down, Shibata-kun. I understand that you’re concerned about your crush, but there’s no need for the violent tone—”

“I-I don’t have a crush on her! Don’t speak nonsense, ossan!”

“Shibata, you…”

“N-Nishino-san as well?”

Ichinose-san and I smile at the scene in front of us and slowly stand up.

“Let’s go, Ichinose-san.”

“Yes, Kudou-san.”

I have friends here who can support me and laugh with me.

That is why I can continue to live on in this world full of monsters, together with companions who I cherish more than anything else.

*****

TN: Aaaaaaand with that we’re finally done with another arc! Are you guys excited for the next arc?