Evacuation
After we'd thoroughly enjoyed the movie, what we chose to do next was... ordinary. Almost painfully ordinary.
Even if I'd been a man in my previous life, I was currently in the body of a woman in her early twenties, and Saran was twenty-six — a woman in her prime. And if I went by my own accumulated data on the subject... in a situation like this, looking at clothes was practically a given.
So today, as naturally as breathing, we wandered into the department store right next to the theater and started browsing together.
"I think clothes like these would look wonderful on you, Saran. Your height is about average, but... your figure is so well-proportioned. Jeans would look great too... oh, and what about a long skirt like this?"
"Should I try it on?"
"Yes, I think you should try it at least once. This one especially — I have a feeling it'll look incredible on you. The skirt isn't all that long, but I think it'll suit you."
"Alright. I'll try it."
Saran was more responsive than usual — more so than when we were just walking around somewhere. Whenever I recommended something, her reactions actually varied. And really, wouldn't it be stranger if someone as beautiful as Saran had zero interest in clothes? Surely even she stood in front of a full-length mirror at home after changing, striking a pose or two, just to feel a little pleased with herself.
Of course, I was... something of a special case. But didn't everyone do that a little, if they were that pretty? That cute?
"Wow, that looks amazing on you. When you've got those long legs, even a short skirt like that looks perfectly natural. It's pretty."
"Yeah."
"I wear skirts pretty often myself, but maybe it's because I'm short... if I put on something too short, it just makes my legs look even shorter."
"...Your proportions aren't a problem, though?"
"That's a separate issue. The fact that I'm short still shows."
Chatting about this and that with Saran while we browsed was genuinely fun. Part of it was that I simply enjoyed clothes shopping. But there was also the pleasure of watching a beautiful model who wasn't me try things on — and the person standing right next to me happened to be exceptionally beautiful.
"Saran, try this one too. I think it'd look great on you."
"Okay."
Naturally, I kept recommending things for her to try, and somewhere in the middle of all that I picked out a few pieces for myself for autumn. We didn't spend the entire time just looking at clothes and walking around, though. We also stopped to rest at a café inside the department store.
"It's starting to feel like autumn."
"Yeah. It is."
"Personally, I think autumn feels a bit chillier than spring, out of the four seasons? Spring can be cold too, of course, but people tend to feel like autumn has more of a bite to it, don't they?"
"Yeah."
"Maybe that's why... I think autumn clothes are the prettiest. Being able to wear coats and all kinds of outerwear so easily is a plus too, so that probably has something to do with it."
We were only shopping, after all. There was no reason to treat it like a military campaign. Slowly. Comfortably. Just spending time like this was enough — enough to have an effect on Saran, and that alone made it worthwhile.
And she did seem to be enjoying herself, even if not quite as much as she had during the movie. The way she moved through the store now was so much more natural than the first time I'd taken her outside. It was a good look on her. I hoped she'd keep showing me more of it.
"Hehe."
"What?"
"I'm just happy, that's all."
"...I see."
And so we sat there in the café, quietly sipping our drinks. Shopping bags were already piled up beside us, and if we kept going like this, we'd probably head home with even more clothes than we'd started with. Last night I'd paid for dinner with the Team Leader and dinner with Batori, so my wallet had taken a bit of a hit, but...
"Saran, let's stop by the ice cream shop on the top floor in a bit."
"Okay. Let's."
In the end, everything with Saran started from the simple act of going outside. A little extra spending wasn't a problem. If throwing some money at this kind of thing chipped away even one percent of what she was dealing with, that was something to be glad about.
"Well then, shall we..."
Which was why I started to get up, ready to raise that one percent a little higher. We'd already been sitting there for about thirty minutes, and if we kept resting, it felt like the day might just... end like this, on a note of quiet satisfaction. So I was about to start shopping again, when—
A tremendous BOOOOM shook the entire building.
"Kyaah?!"
The department store lurched without warning — and the sound that came with it was enormous.
"KYAAAAAH?!"
"W-what was that?!"
"MOOOOM!!!"
A department store dozens of stories tall going whump like that was more than enough to send everyone inside into a panic. In an instant, the place descended into utter chaos. Staff members were on the phone, firing off questions in every direction. People bolted for the stairs and escalators, fleeing first and thinking later. The interior of the store became a complete mess — a space without a shred of order left in it.
"......"
"...Saran. This is..."
"A villain, most likely."
"That's what I was thinking..."
Generally speaking — commonsensically speaking — a situation like this simply could not happen. People said there was no such thing as "absolutely" in this world, but this was absolutely not a normal occurrence. Which meant, of course, that the cause pointed to one thing.
"......"
"What should we do?"
I turned to Saran beside me with a serious look. We were still sitting in our seats, but we couldn't just stay put. This situation needed to be handled. More precisely, it needed to be handled by Saran, not me.
"The Association hasn't contacted us yet, but... we need to head toward wherever that tremor came from. I don't know if it's some kind of device or an ability. We need to check, then report it to the Association."
"Then go. I'll take care of all the clothes and the rest of the bags."
I agreed with her immediately. There wasn't a single reason not to listen to Saran right now — following her lead was the correct call. Especially since I didn't have any real combat ability to speak of. If I stuck by her side, I'd just be dead weight. Matching the other people who were already fleeing and getting out of there myself was, I was quite certain, the right answer.
"...Will you be okay?"
"Yes, I'll be fine. You don't need to worry."
"Really?"
"I mean, last time there was a terrorist attack on the Association, I evacuated just like everyone else and nothing happened, right? Don't worry."
"......"
It wasn't that I didn't understand why Saran was a little worried about me. But there wasn't anything I could do about it either way. If anything, staying put right now was the more dangerous option... and having Saran move was the best choice available. I simply thought it was right not to dump any unnecessary baggage on her.
"Saran, go. Quickly."
"...Okay."
There was no need to argue with the simple, clear-cut common sense that heroes suppressed villains. And Saran was a hero. So of course she started walking in the opposite direction from everyone else, heading off to deal with the villain. And I...
...guess I need to evacuate.
Like a regular citizen, same as always. I simply ran, following the evacuation manual I'd been taught since childhood in this life. Both hands were loaded with shopping bags, which made them pretty heavy, but a lot of people had already fled during the time I'd spent talking with Saran, so I was actually able to evacuate a little more comfortably. As always, the evacuation route was installed separately — not the regular stairs, but a special stairwell set aside for this exact purpose.
"Hahh..."
Come to think of it, this was D City. I'd lived twenty-one years in this world, and things like this happened often enough that I wasn't particularly shocked. It wasn't that I wasn't worried... but it wasn't something to make a huge fuss over, either. The entire department store shaking once like that had been startling, sure, but...
...she'll handle it just fine, right?
I didn't know the exact level of the villain, or of Saran for that matter. I was just an office worker, and I knew next to nothing about how Awakened actually fought each other. For all I knew, I was worrying over nothing.
That was possible, but still...
...I just hope she comes back safely.
I couldn't help being worried. Separated from Saran, I fled toward the shelter along with the other civilians, and the whole way there I kept feeling the building shake. It wasn't going to collapse — I was sure of that — but it kept trembling like an earthquake, over and over. Of course that would make anyone anxious.
BOOOM!!
"Kya?!"
...And of course I jumped every time the building shook. The thought even crossed my mind that it might actually come down. Granted, something like this collapsing was... well, it was unlikely, but still...
"......"
Worrying was only human, I told myself, as I finally, barely, made it to the underground shelter. I'd arrived relatively late, so of course there were an enormous number of people already inside. I found a spot toward the back and settled in.
"Hahh..."
For the moment, I just sat down and rested. My knees ached from coming down all those stairs, and my body had always been... quite significantly... far removed from anything resembling exercise.
And as I sat there catching my breath, a thought occurred to me. I didn't know exactly what was happening outside, but Saran was probably fighting out there right now, and having backup would be better than not having it, wouldn't it? The Association was surely already sending dispatch requests to heroes about the situation outside, but...
...maybe I should try contacting those two.
Connections existed to be used, after all. And for those two, responding to a situation like this was their job anyway.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone.