Chapter 4: Princess Aira and Raccoon Man
44: Welcome Back to the Extraordinary
August 20th.
School starts tomorrow, but it’s rare for any school to still have it at this time. They’ll probably spend an hour or so during homeroom doing something, but it’s bound to be nothing important.
Still, it’s been an awfully hot summer this year.
Even the cicadas, the usual harbingers of summer, seem to have died from the heat. I haven’t heard a single chirp.
In the meantime, Ryugo has been leveling up his app while keeping an eye out for Double Suit.
“So…let’s see, I’m level 160 now…”
He’s been leveling up efficiently by volunteering with people, but at this point, the rewards are starting to dwindle.
‘Hypnotizable subjects: 7’ ‘Attitude: Trance, Anger, Awe’ ‘Command level 5’
“W-why did I only get this much after leveling up 60 times…”
“We’ve run out of ideas.”
Bunny Suit, sitting next to him, replied flatly.
Ryugo was currently taking a break on a bench after finishing his volunteer work. Bunny Suit just happened to show up.
She hadn’t been seen for the past two weeks, so why was she suddenly here?
“…Run out of ideas?”
“Originally, we intended to end it at level 100.”
“So there’s not much point in leveling up anymore?”
“There is some, but there’s no need to force it.”
“I have to level up regardless, so say something to motivate me.”
“I’ll take off my suit if you reach level 200.”
“Ooh! …No, never mind.”
“What!?”
For once, Bunny Suit’s eyes widened in shock.
“W-why…I’m so beautiful!”
“Because you’ve focused too much on beauty and lost your humanity. You’re not erotic.”
“Huh?”
“You’re like a robot wearing human skin.”
“U…ugh…”
“You tried to imitate humans but failed to capture the essence of life. You’re more like an alien.”
“But I’ve included all the elements that humans find beautiful…”
“It’s like putting hamburger patties and ice cream in ramen.”
On the other hand, Double Suit looked completely human.
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Why was that?
Was she better at observing people than Bunny Suit? Did she enjoy humans more, giving her a deeper understanding of their nuances?
She had blended in seamlessly as a student for months. It wasn’t surprising.
“Speaking of which…Bunny Suit, was your experiment a success? You said that giving someone too much freedom would reveal their true nature…”
“Indeed, the results were intriguing. I had anticipated that you would use it at least once for personal gain…but you never did reveal your true self.”
“I was acting on my true nature when I punched that annoying guy.”
“Human emotions are not constant. They are a whirlpool of desires, each vying for attention.”
“…”
“But then again, it’s probably also human nature to suppress it. I’m the one who carries out the sins and punishments, but I’ve always been intrigued by the reasons why people commit sins. But now I see that there are sins committed not only out of self-interest, but also out of firm beliefs. This has been a truly fascinating month.”
Deviating from the actions expected by social conventions… is only a part of human nature.
Humans aren’t such easy creatures to understand.
“Speaking of which, I haven’t told you why I came here yet.”
“Oh, you have something to say?”
“Double Suit’s presence has vanished.”
“Presence?”
It was a word I had heard before, but its meaning was unclear.
“Ah. We can sense each other’s presence when we’re within a certain distance.”
“Then maybe he’s just gone far away.”
“If that were the case, the timing would be strange. If he had disappeared right after it was over, I could understand.”
“Hmm. Then… could he have died?”
“Our presence does indeed vanish if we die, but surely not…”
As Ryugo laughed heartily, Bunny Suit’s expression gradually grew grim. Her eyeballs danced left and right as if searching through the labyrinth of her mind.
When she looked so serious, I also started to feel uneasy.
“Hey, you don’t really think he’s dead, do you?”
“We are essentially immortal, but there is one exception.”
“What’s that?”
“Using up all of our energy. We use energy to create things we desire, and the larger they are, the more energy they consume. Over time, our energy will recover, but if we use more than we can handle, we will die .”
“You guys are risking your lives to do such frivolous things? You’re more hardcore than stand-up comedians.”
“I haven’t done anything life-threatening, but Double Suit is an exception. That guy’s crazy. I always thought he was a bit strange, but this incident has made it clear.”
“He’ll try to attack again.”
“Just in case, take this.”
Bunny Suit handed me an envelope.
It was a cute envelope with a rabbit pattern on it. I took it and felt it, but there was nothing unusual about it. It seemed like an ordinary object from this world.
“What is this?”
“Inside is…”
Suddenly, Bunny Suit vanished.
“……”
Bunny Suit had disappeared.
“……”
She vanished in an instant.
It took me three seconds to process what had happened.
“……..huh?”
The spot where she had been standing was now empty.
As if the camera’s view had switched, she had disappeared without a sound.
She was gone the moment I blinked.
“…..!?”
Ryugo stood up with a start.
The Bl00d drained from his face, and a chill ran through his body despite the summer heat.
Goosebumps erupted all over his body.
He felt an incredibly ominous premonition, and he couldn’t sit still any longer.
“Wha-!?”
He looked around.
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
People were still there. It seemed that only the bunny suit had disappeared.
…Did it just go somewhere on its own while I was talking?
Such a reasonable thought came to mind, but the tension that shook his brain denied it.
Intuition.
A sixth sense was working, which was sometimes more reliable than reasoning.
“Hey, are you okay?”
A man who seemed to be passing by nearby called out to him. Judging by his attire, he seemed to be out jogging.
“Your face is pale…”
“Ah… no, I’m okay. Don’t worry…”
“I see. Be careful not to get heatstroke.”
He was an unusually kind person for this day and age.
Perhaps my anxiety was just my imagination. Yes. That must be it.
Nothing strange is happy–
BAM!
–The man suddenly grabbed Ryuugo’s smartphone.
“Wh-what!?”
Not only Ryuugo, but the man’s eyes widened as well.
He pulled Ryuugo hard, and Ryuugo hurriedly resisted.
An incredible power that made his feet slide across the ground.
“What are you doing!?”
“I-it’s not me! My hand, my hand is moving on its own…! I’m telling the truth!”
His expression twisted as he inspired, and his breathing became rapid. He was the very picture of a pitiful person in the grip of terror and confusion.
If it wasn’t his will, then the cause was…
There was only one thing that could do something like this.
“I’m a lucky guy…”
A man swaggered towards them, crushing the sand beneath his feet.
His hair was dyed in a gradient, and his lips and ears were adorned with numerous piercings. He had the appearance of a punk.
The punk dragged a slightly rusty shovel that he must have brought from a construction site.
“You…”
“Huh?”
“The ‘High Value Target’ with a score of ‘160’…”
“Ugh!”
Various questions raced through the synapses of his brain, but amidst them, Ryuugo extracted only the one solid truth.
–He’s also an app user!
Once he knew the answer, the rest of the questions were answered one after another.
The punk’s after Ryuugo’s app. That’s why he’s manipulating men into stealing his phone while he’s still conscious.
That means he used ‘Command.’
“Ah!”
Ryuugo’s phone is snatched out of his hand. The man approaches the punk to hand it over.
“WW-Why is my body moving on its own…?!”
“Hee hee, thank you for your cooperation.”
“So ‘Command’ only goes that far.”
Ryuugo’s words cause the punk to furrow his brow.
Apparently, he hasn’t realized that he didn’t ‘steal’ it but rather ‘had it stolen.’
“‘Attitude: Soldier’… I command you! Snatch the shovel from the enemy!”
“Roger.”
The moment Ryuugo utters those words, the man starts moving in a way that believes his amateur status.
He reaches out and grabs the shovel, punching away the punk’s hand as he tries to pull it back.
“Guh!”
The punk lets go of the shovel in pain, and the man seizes the opportunity to snatch it away.
He didn’t seem to know that the ‘Command’ hypnosis wears off the moment the task is completed, leaving him vulnerable.
The ‘Soldier’ spec I just cast is simple. Follow orders. But it seems to have certain limitations.
The timing of the attack. It seems to be limited to ‘when an enemy with hostile intent appears.’
While that’s still unclear, this is all I can do for now—disarm the opponent.
But once they’re in motion, they can fight beyond the capabilities of ordinary people. That’s thanks to the ‘Soldier’ bonus effect. A function that utilizes the subject’s physical abilities to the fullest and attacks.
“Wh-What!? G-Give it back!”
The punk clutches his hand in frustration.
“Hand it over.”
Ryuugo takes the shovel from the man and says,
“Oraah!”
He punches the punk in the side.
The sensation of flesh tearing and the solid thud of bone being struck travel through the handle.
Since ‘Soldier’ can’t do this, I’ll have to do it myself.
“Uwaaagh!?”
Did he think I’d hesitate?
The punk takes the blow without even trying to defend himself and collapses to the ground.
“I’m taking that back.”
He retrieves his phone and takes the other one too.
Even the case has a punkish design.
It’s not locked. As expected, there’s a hypnosis app inside. But this one’s called ‘Experiments.’
This must be the Double Suit’s doing.
He checks the penalty level down, but it hasn’t decreased at all.
Is it because the opponent is the owner?
“What’s your goal, punk? Huh!?”
He follows up with another punch to the same spot.
The punk curled up his body and writhed.
“If you don’t answer, I’ll break your bones.”
“I, I understand… I’ll talk! I’ll talk!”
‘There’s no need for that.’
It was the voice of the man in the double suit that was heard.
Where from? No, from the smartphone in his hand.
He looked at the screen and saw that a video call was connected, and the man in the double suit was on the other end.
“You…”
‘Did you enjoy it? It was a heated battle from the start.’
“Was it your doing after all?”
‘In the meantime, I’ve sown the seeds where you don’t know. During this month, the people I gave the Experiments to have been diligently doing good deeds. In this heat, everyone has been trying to fulfill their wishes. It’s wonderful! Thanks to the easy-to-understand goal of being rewarded for doing good deeds, it must have been easy for them to do it, right?’
“Cut the crap. Answer me quickly. What are you trying to do?”
‘It’s not that difficult of a story. I just increased the number of people. Ah, of course, since the number of people has increased, I’ve made some changes to the specifications. You can now tell when there are holders nearby. The level too.’
“So that’s why I was attacked earlier?”
‘That’s right… It’s already begun.’
The man in the double suit said with an innocent childlike smile, his eyes clear of any cloudiness.
‘The Battle Royale!’