A Party of Four
I'd laid out a rough plan and meant to get moving, but of course you never really know what lies even one step ahead.
No matter how carefully you map a life out, things rarely go smoothly. Variables always crop up, one after another.
My variables were other hunters. Making me give up before I'd even started — I couldn't blame anyone, and it left me thoroughly stuck.
"So no Ekriki, then?"
"That party already left… and there haven't been any new sighting reports lately."
"Hmm…"
I rubbed the corner of my mouth at the attendant's words. I'd asked about other quests on the off chance, but monsters weren't the sort of thing you just stumbled across, so pickings were slim.
"Alice, you're Rank 10 now, right?"
"Yeah."
"Honestly, at Rank 10 I still wouldn't recommend an Ekriki. How about this instead?"
The attendant pulled a thick book from under the counter — one bristling with bookmarks of every kind. She flipped through the pages, stopped when she found the one she wanted, and turned the book toward me.
"You're famous for your skill, so even if your rank is a little short, I can offer you this. It's a rock-armored beast — a Kometras. There's a request open for one right now, as it happens."
"Kometras…"
The rock-armored beast Kometras was a monster that looked like it carried stones on its body. From the sky, it would have looked exactly like a moving rock. The hard keratin on its face and back was so stone-like that a blade wouldn't bite unless you broke the parts first — filthy meat to cut. Like trying to carve rock with a sword.
A greatsword might manage it, but a plain iron greatsword would dull its edge long before it cracked a Kometras's stone. You'd end up bludgeoning the thing with a blunt club instead of cutting it.
I could always bring materials to Matillo, but I was still a long way from having anything that could punch through a Kometras's rock. Besides, a Kometras was an enemy I could take down with the weapons I had now.
It looked like no blade would put damage into it — but it had a weak point. That rock-hard shell didn't cover its whole body. From a human's point of view rather than a monster's, the difference was clear. Its legs, belly, and chest had no stone at all, and the flesh there was soft. A slashing weapon like a greatsword just had to aim for those spots.
"Fine."
A Kometras wasn't a low-tier monster either. It would lose to an Ekriki, but it was big and tough enough to count as medium-grade.
"You'll have to go with other people, though. Is that all right?"
"…There's already a party?"
"Yes. The person who took the request first said they wanted to go as a group of four."
"Hmm."
I'd been planning to go as a party anyway. I'd thought about leading one myself, but joining late wasn't a bad option either. I wasn't exactly the type to throw myself into group activities. Communication was going to be a problem no matter what — this mouth of mine had never learned honorifics. It was a relationship-destroying mouth.
"Where is that person?"
"Over there, sitting down."
I followed the attendant's finger. I couldn't help being startled — and it wasn't just because there were a lot of people on that side. My eyes met those of a man I'd seen before. Somehow, I had a feeling.
"…That brown-haired guy?"
"That's right."
Was this just how fate worked? I blinked, then nodded. Quietly telling the attendant I'd take it, I walked toward the man.
He'd been chatting with two others and broke off when he saw me coming. I looked them over. They were dressed in leather gear much like mine — not the monster-material outfits of more established hunters. Which meant we were all roughly the same rank. All of us newbies.
"…Hey."
The greeting brought back the day I'd shut him down cold. Maybe I should have been more roundabout about it. But I'd had a prior commitment then; there hadn't been a choice.
"You're…"
"White hair and a greatsword!"
Before the man could finish, the woman in front of him shot to her feet. What — what was this?
I stared at her, momentarily overwhelmed. She came right up and laid a hand on my cheek. A hunter's hand — the skin against mine was rough. She grinned with a flushed face.
"They said you were cuter than expected, and it's true! You're totally a bunny~. A grumpy little bunny."
"…Sorry. Chloe just really likes cute things."
The man apologized on her behalf. I was fine with it, though it was a little sad from a man's point of view. I ought to be used to how this body got treated by now. I didn't mind. I took the woman's hand and carefully lowered it.
"We met last time, right?"
The man was acting familiar. I nodded. That had already been a month ago.
"I thought you just didn't want to and turned me down, but I hear you've been doing a lot of requests with mid-tier hunters since then?"
"…That kind of thing gets around?"
"Well, when you're the center of attention, talk reaches you from every direction. Hunting's a profession with a lot of mouths and a lot of drama."
He laughed. Hunter society was smaller than I'd thought.
From what Leo had observed, Alice didn't seem particularly interested in the world around her. A hunter ought to be sensitive to rumors, but he couldn't sense any of that from her. She just took things in with a simple oh, is that so and moved on.
Interest in Alice had cooled a little since a month ago — she hadn't pulled off anything huge in the meantime — but among rookie hunters she was still a hot topic. From the moment she started, Alice had been clearing requests without a moment to breathe. Mid-tier hunters had stuck close to her, sure, but that kind of consistency and those kinds of connections were ultimately a hunter's own strength.
Leo was Alice's senior as a hunter. His rank was 30, far higher than hers, but even that had taken him a full year of grinding. He hadn't been taking down powerful monsters — he'd made his living hunting weak low-grade ones.
To Leo, this request — the Kometras — was a grand journey. After a hunter's life of nothing but odd jobs, today was the day he would finally face a medium-grade monster for the first time. By his own measure, even a Kakari had been hard enough; he couldn't begin to guess how difficult a Kometras would be. So the thought of Alice coming along was more reassuring than anything.
He hadn't expected her to show up, but choosing the Kometras today seemed to have been an excellent decision. Rumor said she'd taken down a Kakari alone, without any mid-tier hunter — watching her skill would clearly be a valuable lesson.
But the girl standing in front of him looked nothing like someone capable of that. White hair that seemed cool even in the humid air unique to the forest city. Leather armor refined by a craftsman's hand, tailored perfectly to her measurements so it flattered her figure. Pink eyes that only looked bright and lovely. The pauldron covering her left shoulder was scored with nicks and scratches, revealing the nature of her greatsword style — rough handling, completely at odds with her appearance. Not a hit-and-run greatsword, but an in-fighting style that closed and stayed close — a style the Association didn't recommend for beginner hunters. She clearly had the high-level skill the rumors claimed. Looks and ability really had nothing to do with each other, it seemed.
Leo smirked at Chloe stuck to Alice's side like rice cake. Chloe loved cute things. Even on requests, if she spotted something adorable she'd immediately grab a net and raise a ruckus trying to catch it. Alice, appearing before that Chloe, hit her preferences dead-on. Chloe's mischievous hands kept reaching; Alice, face blank, was doing her best to peel them off.
…In its own way, maybe this was how people got closer?
The party was four people. Leo himself, Chloe, Aaron — and Alice. Chloe and Aaron were reliable comrades, but they weren't on Alice's level. It was only natural that a newcomer's heart would lean more toward a comet-like rookie than longtime companions.
Could this request be a chance to form a real connection? Leo held that vague hope. For a hunter, a good connection was something you couldn't afford to let slip.
Thanks to Chloe it wasn't too awkward, but everything with Alice was a first meeting. The first thing Leo did was start introductions, partly to set the party's mood. Getting to know each other properly before heading out on a request was only natural.
"Let's start with introductions. We know each other, but there's someone here for the first time."
"Right."
A low voice rumbled among the four. It was Aaron, who'd been watching the situation. His heavily muscled, thick build, deeply tanned skin, close-cropped hair, and the hammer slung across his back said everything about his personality. He looked at Chloe and shook his head.
"Chloe, that's rude right from the first meeting."
"Oh, listen to you. You're the one too shy to even say hello."
"No, I'm saying we should introduce ourselves first. Hi. I'm Aaron."
"Mm, yeah."
Aaron was the first to greet her. Alice nodded while peeling Chloe's hand off her side yet again. The moment she accepted Aaron's greeting, Chloe shoved her face in from the side. Purple hair swayed and covered Alice's eyes; Alice flinched and pulled her head back. Chloe's lips curved up at both corners as she chuckled.
"I'm Chloe. Nice to meet you."
"…Hi. Uh, the hands…"
Chloe yanked her hands away at Alice's words and held them up by her shoulders. She'd heard the request to stop well enough, but the grinning face and fidgeting fingers made it clear she was ready to start again at any moment.
Alice gave Chloe a flat look, then turned her gaze to Leo. He cleared his throat twice and spoke.
"I'm Leo. Looks like we're finally teaming up this time. I'm party leader for now, but don't worry about speaking up — throw out any opinions you want, no pressure."
"…Yeah."
Alice answered shortly to Leo's bright face, then swallowed. Her tired-looking eyes softened into something kinder. She tilted her head slightly, the corner of her lips lifting just a little, and said:
"I'm Alice. Looking forward to working with you."
By Alice's standards, that was the best communication she could manage. It was awkward if you wanted to call it awkward — but not a single person failed to smile at that clumsy greeting.
"All right, everyone's here. Want to stop by the commercial district and then head out?"
"We've got to get friendly over a meal now, right?"
"Ugh…"
"Chloe. Can't you see Alice is flustered? Walk a little farther away."
"What, are you jealous?"
Leo led the party the way a leader should. Aaron and Chloe grumbled at each other as they followed him out of the Association hall. Chloe stuck right to Alice the whole way, pulling one prank after another, and Alice's hands were busy fending off the assault.
The start, at least, was smooth.