8. Rindo Kazuha

After defeating the Mustard Dragon, a treasure chest appeared.

When I asked if no one was going to take it, they said they were afraid of traps.

Right, they hadn't heard about the 'Trap Disarm' skill from Mojasama yet.

If you had a Thief-type skill, you could safely disarm them. There were also spells to identify the type of trap.

However, Mojasama seemed to be in the group that had fled back to town, so he wasn't here.

Even though it was a Mustard Dragon's treasure chest, if you opened it on the first floor, the traps wouldn't be anything too serious.

While everyone was keeping their distance, I threw a small stone at the treasure chest.

It made a dry *pacon* sound, and the treasure chest opened. As I said before, the traps in the first-floor treasure chests followed a set pattern, so if you were careful, there was no danger even without the 'Trap Disarm' skill.

"What, there wasn't even a trap?"

Peering inside, along with a bundle of gold coins in a bag, there was a 'Kurogane Sword'. It had a bluish effect, so it might have been a magic sword.

Even though it was a monster equivalent to the sixth floor, the treasure chest was from the first floor. Without detailed appraisal, it probably wasn't a great weapon.

It was a better weapon than the samurai sword I currently had, but I didn't like double-edged swords, so I passed.

"Hey, Shinjo Wataru-kun. Did you open the treasure chest?"

"Oh, it seems like it just happened to open."

I lied shamelessly. As expected of those driven by greed, as soon as Nanami Shuichi's group learned that they could safely get money, they swarmed over.

I didn't need the money or the item, so I was thinking of just giving it to them when it seemed like the 'Kurogane Sword' (with supplementary magic) was going to be used by the leader, Nanami.

As a share, I was also pressed with about ten gold coins, which made me smile wryly, but I accepted them thinking I could give them to Seki.

It wasn't worth much to me, but for the students trying to survive in the town, gold coins were as important as life itself, so the more the better.

I was dying to go explore the dungeon quickly, but I held back, thinking it might look suspicious if I left the group immediately.

Nanami and the others, even though they knew it was hopeless, were nursing and seeing off the students who were poisoned and dying until the very end.

More monsters might come. Taking time in a place like this made me a little impatient, but even I, who usually didn't read the atmosphere, couldn't tell them to hurry up.

The corpses piled up in the back passage, having been cornered by the Mustard Dragon. There was no means of cremation, and burial was impossible on the stone floor of the dungeon.

Even so, under Nanami's instructions, they laid out a vinyl sheet, brought from somewhere, in the innermost Class A classroom, creating a makeshift morgue.

The students who had died from the Mustard Dragon's poisonous breath had faces that were congested and purple.

A female student who had been brutally eaten away, losing half of her face.

A male student who had been crushed to death, all the bones in his body broken apart by the dragon's tail.

The expressions of the deceased were all uniformly distorted with terror and pain. Some boys clung to the bodies lined up in the morgue, calling out names over and over again, while some girls silently arranged the distorted expressions of the deceased and applied makeup.

Many of the dead must have had close friends among the students. Mourning and paying respects was a natural human thing to do.

Since I didn't have anyone to mourn, I decided to keep watch outside to make sure no monsters came.

Thanks to the Mustard Dragon's rampage, I didn't think the Orcs would appear for a while, but it wasn't completely safe.

"Um..."

While I was in the first large hall beyond the classroom, keeping watch and also training my Acrobat skill by throwing small stones at the wall, a female student with her long hair tied up with a scrunchie called out to me.

I thought she was walking unusually slowly, and then I noticed she was using a mop as a cane and dragging her left leg slightly.

"What's wrong with you? Did you get injured?"

"Eh... oh, no. It's always been like this, always."

When I asked if she had a bad leg from the start, she said she had a disability in her ankle joint and could walk but not run.

I was taken aback, realizing there were students like that too.

There were students who couldn't fight or run away even if monsters came.

That's why, even in the face of the Mustard Dragon, Nanami and the others hadn't been able to abandon them and flee.

As I was feeling down about my lack of consideration, the girl offered me the school bag she was carrying like a backpack with a cheerful tone, saying, "More importantly..."

Inside the bag she offered were many empty flasks.

"...Did you pick up empty bottles for me?"

"Yes. These are all yours, Shinjo-san."

She had apparently gathered all the flasks I had thrown to everyone.

Since they were cheap at the store, it would have been perfectly fine to just leave them, but it would have been bad to disregard the girl's kindness, so I accepted the bag and casually stuffed it into my backpack.

"Um, thank you so, so much for saving us."

She lowered her head as she thanked me, and the backpack she had just put on bounced up, causing her tied-up hair in the back to sway.

She was a somehow soothing girl.

Collecting usable items and having a bag to carry them were both correct actions.

Even though she couldn't fight due to her leg disability, she was doing what she could, so I thought she was a great kid.

"No, it's alright. I only came later. Nanami and the others were the ones who really saved you."

"But if Shinjo-san hadn't come, we would have surely died."

"It's not like that. Vice-President Nanami would have managed somehow even without me."

I wanted to avoid being targeted and relied upon, so I was just being modest for now.

Nanami, who had been able to react immediately to my actions, might have really managed somehow.

In the first place, the reason Nanami had ended up barricading himself in the back of the classroom was probably to protect the students who couldn't escape.

If they had abandoned their hesitation and fought seriously, they should have been able to do it.

But in that case, these girls who would have been dead weight might have died. It would be cruel to say that, so of course I didn't.

Even so, why did this female student know my name? Perhaps my question showed on my face, as the girl said with a slightly flustered look.

"Um, I'm Rindo Kazuha. We were in the same Class F, but do you not remember?"

"Uh, oh yeah, that's right. Sorry."

Now that she said it, I thought I recognized her face. But I didn't remember girls' faces as well as guys'.

Even though we were in the same class, I had been intentionally ignoring everyone since entering high school for the utterly idiotic reason that my 'human strength would decrease', so I didn't know.

Only Seki had repeatedly called out to such a stubborn me, trying to become friends.

Kazuha blushed and spoke a little faster.

"I see, that's right. Shinjo-san wouldn't be interested in someone like me, would he? But, but I was saved by Shinjo-san once before!"

"Eh? Did that happen?"

"Yes, during the homeroom to decide class representatives in the first semester, when I was about to be forced to be class leader, Shinjo-san got angry and said, 'Don't ignore the person and decide on your own!' I was so happy then..."

"Did that happen? I see, so thanks to me, you didn't have to be class leader."

I didn't remember at all, but nice one, me!

Usually quiet, but a delinquent who helps a girl in trouble, that's pretty cool. A man who gets things done when it matters.

"No, you really don't remember me, do you? I'm a little shocked. In the end, I was the class leader the whole time though..."

"Whoa, I didn't help at all. Sorry about that."

I was useless! If I was going to help, I should have helped properly.

I didn't remember, so it was probably a trivial matter. But hearing it objectively, I was really a heartless guy.

"But it's true that Shinjo-san spoke up for me, so I've always wanted to thank you. I didn't really have a chance to talk to you, and before I knew it, there was always a beautiful girl at Shinjo-san's seat..."

Ah, she meant Kumiko. She had been in a bit of a stalking state since that confession incident.

A famous girl from Class A frequently came to Class F, creating a strange atmosphere.

"And when she wasn't there, you were always sleeping, so it was hard to talk to you. Time passed, and I gradually didn't know how to say it..."

"It wasn't a big deal, but I'm sorry for making it awkward."

"Please don't apologize! It was something I regretted before I might die, so I'm very relieved that I could thank you."

"Die? You were just saved."

Given the situation, her way of speaking was somehow concerning.

"Because even though something like that happened, I couldn't move properly and was just a burden, unable to do anything. I probably would have died. It was probably just luck that Shinjo-san came and saved me earlier."

"Luck, huh... you..."

Right after seeing so many people killed before my eyes, I was a little overwhelmed by her casually using the word 'die'.

What a sad face she made as she smiled. I thought this girl, Kazuha, was someone who could accept her own death in an extreme situation.

Normal people, no matter how many people around them die, think somewhere in their hearts, 'I won't die.'

That foolish misunderstanding won't be resolved until the moment they actually die. I'm no exception; I think I won't die.

What Kazuha said was right. In this moment, you didn't know who would die next.

But it was painful for me to see a girl smiling and saying that.

'I'll save you...' Such an irresponsible, truly shitty thing almost slipped out of my mouth, so I bit my lower lip.

Hey, Shinjo Wataru.

You, a man who selfishly acted and watched many students from the same school die, what were you going to say to this poor girl?

There was no absolute safety in this 'Genocide Reality'. No one could guarantee that.

A trap could be triggered by a slight carelessness, and stray arrows or fireballs could fly and kill you.

The next 'Invasion' could happen at this very moment, and demons or dragons might climb up. It was an almost impossibly low probability, but if an enemy stronger than the Mustard Dragon came, I, who didn't want to die, would abandon Kazuha and the others and run.

My own life was important, others' lives were secondary. That was natural; I was that kind of cold-hearted guy.

But more than being loudly called heartless or being reproached for not helping, Kazuha's muttered, "I'll probably die anyway," had really hit me hard.

Because there was no way she should say something like that.

I knew she wasn't blaming me.

On the contrary, Kazuha was thanking me from the bottom of her heart, saying thank you for saving her.

Even though she would probably die anyway, she was saying thank you from the bottom of her heart because she was happy.

I had completely forgotten, but it seemed I had tried to help her once and then left her without properly helping her.

"Haa... I'm really a terrible person."

I let out a deep sigh, took out a potion, and muttered, "Elementary Low Health (lis)" in my mouth.

A blue liquid accumulated at the bottom of the flask.

"Hey, Rindo-san. Could you try drinking this?"

"This is a recovery potion, right? But I'm not injured."

"Just drink it."

"Okay..."

Saying that, Kazuha brought the potion I had made to her mouth with both hands and swallowed with a *gulp*.

I touched Kazuha's left leg, which she had been dragging.

"Kya!"

"Hey, try putting some strength in your leg and standing up."

I stroked her leg from her ankle to her thigh, feeling the muscles tense up.

The left leg that had been bent until just now was now stretched out straight.

"No way, I can stand... I can walk."

"I knew it. Health potions probably work on congenital disabilities too."

A little awkwardly, Kazuha was able to walk without using her cane.

I had probably expected this. In the dungeon, you could get into a diseased state or suffer severe injuries with terrible aftereffects.

If recovery potions weren't effective against chronic illnesses, they wouldn't fulfill their role.

"The way to make a health potion is 'Elementary Low Health (lis)'. As soon as your mana recovers, make it yourself and keep drinking it. It might not heal completely in one go, but if you keep doing it, you might even be able to run."

"S-Shinjo-san. I..."

Just as Kazuha, her eyes welling up and her voice choked, was about to say something...

"What's wrong, Kazuha? It's dangerous for you to be in a place like this!"

"Nanami-kun..."

Nanami Shuichi rushed over here, looking flustered.

His expression was more distraught than I had ever seen. When he reached Kazuha's side, he stood firmly in front of me and glared at me.

Well, Kazuha looked like she was about to cry, but...

I hadn't bullied her, okay?

"Nanami-kun, I'm alright. Shinjo-kun helped me."

"Kazuha, stay by my side."

Looking at Nanami's serious face, I smirked to myself, "Aha!"

Could it be that the person he liked was Kazuha?

The timid-looking Rindo Kazuha wasn't particularly striking in appearance.

She was a modest girl who didn't know how to adorn herself, but she wasn't exactly unattractive.

Her slightly drooping, moist eyes gave her a gentle, somewhat innocent look, and the hint of sadness about her wasn't bad either.

For a sixteen-year-old, her chest and hips were quite well-developed; upon closer inspection, she was cute.

Kazuha was the kind of background character that you would only notice after looking at her intently and finally realizing, "Huh? ...Could she actually be really cute?"

Even I, who was in the same class, hadn't paid her any attention. She could be considered a hidden gem.

However, it was a bit surprising that Nanami Shuichi, the most handsome boy in school, had feelings for her.

But Nanami was a very easy guy to read. He always called people by their full names, but he called Kazuha by her first name in a friendly way.

That alone was enough to suspect something.

I didn't like getting involved with people because it was troublesome, but when it came to romance, I had a normal amount of interest.

Nanami Shuichi, a popular honor student with many admirers, had turned down Kumiko, a stunning beauty (even if she was a bitch on the inside).

The fact that he had chosen the plain Kazuha made me quite curious.

"What's this? You two seem to be getting along quite well."

"It's not like that, Shinjo-kun. Nanami-kun and I have known each other since we were kids, so he just looks out for me!"

Heh, Kazuha blushed and looked flustered. Good, this innocent reaction. There was definitely something between these two.

Nanami, who seemed to have regained some composure, added with a composed expression, "Kazuha and I have been in the same schools since kindergarten. I guess you could say we're childhood friends."

I see, childhood friends. Just one word that could express a strong bond.

Nanami Shuichi stood close to Kazuha, who was beside him, and said to me, "Shinjo Wataru-kun, thank you for looking out for Kazuha. But Kazuha is my childhood friend, so I want to protect her."

He was still a handsome guy.

If this beautiful man said such lines, any girl would fall for him instantly.

But Rindo Kazuha was also a strange girl.

Even after Nanami said all that, she just looked apologetic and kept her head down. A normal girl would have looked incredibly proud in such a situation...

If Nanami was captivated by her, that might be why.

Even though such a strong and cool childhood friend was protecting her, she didn't become conceited or get carried away. That was a rare quality in itself.

She was modest in everything and never got cocky.

For a cute little girl who was only sixteen or so, having that much composure was surprisingly impressive.

The quiet and gentle Kazuha had none of the unpleasant traits of a woman who would immediately get carried away and try to take control of a man. She didn't care about winning or losing.

Compared to the arrogant Kujo, Kazuha's hidden strengths stood out even more.

Kumiko was a woman who seemed to wear her competitiveness like clothes, but it wasn't just her.

Most women were generally cocky and brazen.

Kazuha was a girl with a rare endearing quality, remembering trivial things for a long time and worrying about not being able to express her gratitude for half a year.

Nanami must have been weak to such demure girls. Kumiko had just used the wrong approach.

"They might actually be a surprisingly good match."

"N-no, it's not like that, Shinjo-kun. Nanami-kun and I just lived close to each other when we were kids, so it's not like we're a couple or anything!"

Kazuha shook her head vehemently without looking up. Her hair, tied up with her scrunchie, bounced around wildly.

She seemed desperate to deny it, so maybe I shouldn't tease her too much. I had been enjoying it, but there was also something a little concerning.

Being Nanami's girlfriend might be a burden for this plain girl.

I recalled that Nanami was supposed to be single. There might be some circumstances, so I should leave them alone.

I didn't want to step on any landmines, and I didn't want to meddle in other people's troublesome affairs.

"We're not dating yet, but I always hope to become a man worthy of Kazuha..."

Nanami muttered such a monologue without being asked. It was practically a confession, so cool it was almost laughable.

If anything, Kazuha would have to really stretch herself to be a match for him.

"Vice-President Nanami, shouldn't we be going soon?"

I suggested.

Mourning the dead was good, but we didn't have that much time to spare.

The monsters that had retreated as if the tide had gone out would probably start showing their faces again soon.

The remaining group had many who were inexperienced in combat, so just escorting them to town would be exhausting.

"Shinjo Wataru-kun is right, I'll go call everyone!"

Nanami Shuichi firmly grasped Kazuha's hand and pulled her along.

I was a little bothered by the look in Kazuha's eyes as she glanced back at me, as if she wanted to say something, but since Nanami had come, I would leave it to him.

Relationships between people were complicated and troublesome.

It was something that didn't concern me, a man who loved solitude.

Accompanied by Nanami's group, I decided to return to town for the time being.