Classmate wa Isekai de Yuusha ni Natta kedo, Ore dake Gendai Nihon ni Okizari ni Narimashita - Chapter 17
Chapter 17: I Was Asked to Hunt a Monster (Part 2)
"Uh… that’s…"
"It’s called ‘Item Box.’ A skill that lets me freely
store and retrieve objects."
I calmly explained to Kuon, who was startled by the sudden
appearance of the white box.
When trying to explain something, the most effective way is
to show it firsthand.
"Then… does that mean you also just disappeared
suddenly yesterday because of…?"
In response, I took out a broken wristwatch from my bag and
used ‘Spatial Transfer Magic’ to teleport it back to my desk at home.
Seeing my abilities in action, Kuon could no longer deny
it.
She had no choice but to accept that I truly possessed
game-like powers.
"Do you have any other questions?"
"…Is there a way for me to obtain the same power?"
"I don’t know. But the ones who tried to summon us to
another world probably do."
"I see..."
Hearing my response, Kuon looked a bit disheartened.
Well, it makes sense. If you knew there was a way to gain
skills, level up, and grow stronger like in a game, you’d want that power too.
"Then let me ask you something. What exactly is this
great demon that escaped?"
Upon hearing my question, Kuon pulled out an old scroll
from her bag and unfolded it.
On it was a grotesque creature—a demon’s head with black
skin and horns like a bull, attached to a spider’s body.
"This is the ‘Ushioni,’ the demon currently hiding in
this city."
"Ushioni… I think I’ve heard of that name before."
"It’s a well-known yokai. That also means it’s powerful
and dangerous. But the most troublesome thing about it is…"
She spread the scroll further, revealing an illustration of
the Ushioni disguising itself as a woman and attacking people.
"I see. So, the Ushioni is currently hiding in human
form."
"Yes. And also… we prefer to keep our existence a
secret as much as possible. That means…"
"So, before it starts attacking people and causing
panic, we need to find it and take it down, right?"
"That’s exactly it. I apologize for the restrictions we
have to impose."
"It’s fine. No problem."
By the time I agreed to hear her out, I had already expected
this to be troublesome.
But judging by what she told me, if her intel is accurate, I
should be more than capable of handling it.
The only real issue is…
"Just to confirm—do you at least have a way to track
down the Ushioni in disguise?"
"Yes. I’ve already released shikigami throughout the
city to detect traces of yokai energy. No matter how well it hides, a demon
can’t fully suppress its aura."
So she did have a plan in mind before coming to me. That’s a
relief.
"However, my shikigami can only detect a general
location. It will take at least a week to pinpoint its exact whereabouts."
"…Hey, can you immediately notify me whenever you sense
yokai energy?"
"Huh? Well, yes, that’s possible, but…?"
"Then do it. Send me the info the moment you detect
something. Here, this is my ID."
I flipped over the memo she gave me this morning and wrote
down my contact ID for a messaging app.
"U-Um… What exactly do you plan to do?"
"What do you think?"
I made a throat-slitting gesture and smirked.
"I’m gonna take that monster down immediately. That’s
what this is all about, right?
◇◇◇
Late at night, in the city’s entertainment district, a man
and a woman walked closely together through a dimly lit alleyway, illuminated
only by the faint glow of neon lights.
"Hey, why don’t you come over to my place
tonight?"
"A-Are you sure? Someone like me… going into your
room…?"
"I’m inviting you because you’re you."
"T-Then…!"
The middle-aged man in a suit, his face flushed from
alcohol, was ecstatic at the unexpected invitation from the young beauty.
For a brief moment, the woman’s face twisted into something
predatory, but she quickly masked it as she hailed a passing taxi and got in.
"H-Huh? It feels like we’ve gone pretty far out…?"
Looking out the window, the man noticed that the bustling
cityscape had disappeared, replaced by vast fields and mountains. A rural
landscape stretched as far as the eye could see.
Feeling a sense of unease, he turned to the woman and spoke,
but—
She did not answer. She simply gazed out the window in
silence.
Eventually, the taxi came to a stop in front of an abandoned
factory at the foot of the mountains.
"Um… Ms. Onishima, where exactly are we…?"
The man turned toward the woman, trying to ask, but—
Before he could finish his sentence, she shoved him out of
the taxi with sudden force.
"W-What the hell are you— Hiiiii!?"
Before he could protest, a black hand emerged from the
darkness and grabbed him.
His frightened words turned into a scream as he was dragged
into the abandoned factory and tossed carelessly onto the floor.
Under the pale moonlight filtering through the broken roof,
eerie black shadows twisted and writhed within the factory.
"M-Ms. Onishima…? What the hell is going on…?"
"I’m sorry, dear. I lost contact with my minions, so I
had to resort to… a more direct approach."
"W-What do you mean…?"
The man trembled in confusion as Onishima laughed softly and
stepped closer.
And then, he finally realized—
The shadows extending from her body were not human.
Paralyzed by fear, the man couldn’t even move a finger.
Meanwhile, the thing that had once been a woman began to
shift and morph, extending a hand toward him.
And just as it came within a meter of him—
"…?"
The creature suddenly sensed something above.
A shadow flickered over its head.
Then—
With a crash, the factory’s ceiling window shattered.
Glass shards rained down, and something dropped in.
"!?"
The creature instinctively tried to leap back—
But the intruder moved even faster, closing the gap
instantly.
"…‘Spatial Transfer Magic.’"
In the next moment—
The creature, along with the writhing black shadows in the
factory—
Vanished.
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