241. Evolution Rush

“Ah, right.”

『Papa, what is it?』

While giving Peony (Temp) a piggyback ride, it suddenly occurred to me. Come to think of it, I haven’t given this child a name yet.

『A name… is it?』

“Yeah, we’re going to be living together from now on, so it’ll be inconvenient without one, right? Any preferences?”

『Hmm, anything is fine as long as it’s a name Papa gives me.』

“Really? Well, since you’re a tree, how about Keeb—”

『Ah, that one is no good. I feel like it’s very dangerous for some reason.』

I see… no good, huh. “Peony” would obviously be bad—memories might return at a sudden trigger, so that’s rejected too. In that case, following the pattern of my other companions with colors would be next, but “Midori” (Green) overlaps with Goshogawara-san’s wife…

“Then, how about ‘Sui’? It means a brilliant emerald green. I think it fits you perfectly as you grow.”

『Sui, is it? Yes, I like it! I am Sui from today on!』

She seemed happy with it. So, Peony (Temp)’s new name was decided as Sui. It’s a shame the party slots are full and I can’t officially add her, but I’ll look forward to her growth.

Sui is basically friendly and gets along with most people fairly quickly—except for Libera-san. She’s closest to Kiki and Shiro. Watching her have fun clinging to Shiro’s leg to fly or riding on Kiki’s back to dash across the ground was truly healing. On the other hand, she throws a stone at Libera-san every single time they meet, so Libera-san has started staying away. …How pitiful.

While playing ball with Kiki and the others in the sun, Sui suddenly trembled.

『—Ah, I just acquired the skills “Photosynthesis” and “Leaf Shot.”』

“Oh, I see. You really do grow fast…”

Only a day after being born, Sui has already acquired “Anthropomorphism,” “Photosynthesis,” and “Leaf Shot.” Even without leveling up or fighting monsters, skills can be acquired if conditions are met. In Sui’s case, she’s likely “remembering” skills from her time as Peony as she grows. Considering Peony had nearly hundreds of skills, it’s not strange for some to have relatively loose acquisition requirements.

For the record, “Photosynthesis” increases HP, MP, and physical recovery during the day, while “Leaf Shot” is a skill to fire her leaves like shurikens. I’ve seen both during the battle with Peony. “Leaf Shot” back then was practically a map-wide weapon, though… At any rate, Sui is growing steadily.

“Speaking of growth, Nijo and the others said they were about to evolve soon…”

Probing for presences, I sensed Nijo, Chief Shimizu, Fujita-san, Towada-san from the SDF, and Goshogawara-san at the training grounds. …Ah, an explosion just went off. I want to check the future training schedule with Libera-san anyway, so I’ll head over.

『Ah, I’m coming too!』

“Kyuu!♪”

『I’ll go together!』

Three monsters stuck themselves onto me. …You guys, walk on your own. But lately, I feel a bit lonely without Momo and Aka being part of the “clinging crew.” They’re still with the Sea King today. I want them to come home soon so I can fluff and squish them.

—At the center of a crater, several men and women lay sprawled out like wet rags.

“Oh, Kazuto. You’re here.”

“…As usual, it’s a horrific sight.”

“Training isn’t training unless it’s harsh. Well, thanks to that, everyone has reached LV30.”

“Oh, that’s impressive.”

I approached Nijo, who was collapsed on the ground, and had her drink a recovery potion.

“…Huh, Senpai? Why are you here…? A hallucination?”

“Not a hallucination. Here, drink up.”

“Ngh… uhe, ehehehe… Senpai is, Senpai is personally feeding me. What is this, heaven…?”

“No way… Hey, move your hand—le, let go!”

I peeled off Nijo, who refused to let go of my hand, and distributed potions to Chief Shimizu and the others. Once everyone’s consciousness was clear, I confirmed that, as Libera-san said, they had all reached LV30.

“Evolution, huh… When I was listening to Kudo-kun and the others, I thought it was something that had nothing to do with me…”

“But with this, we can protect even more people. Besides, it sets a bad example if we adults are the ones being protected forever.”

“Hmm, I wonder which one is best. Maybe I’ll ask my wife and daughter…”

Fujita-san, Towada-san, and Goshogawara-san seemed to have relatively little resistance to the idea of evolving.

“This is really okay, right? It doesn’t mean I’ll stop being human, does it?”

“Chief, that’s rude to Kazuto-senpai. It’ll be fine.”

On the other hand, Chief Shimizu still seemed anxious about evolution. She kept looking at her options and asking Fujita-san and the others for their opinions.

“I’ve recorded the evolution candidates we’ve seen so far on paper, so use that for reference. If there’s an option not on the list, tell me immediately. Kazuto and I will look it up.”

“Yeah, ask me anything if you’re curious.”

“Ah, in that case, Senpai! Today’s dinner—”

“Questions unrelated to evolution are rejected.”

“…Boo.”

It seemed the evolution candidates offered to Nijo and the others were almost identical to ours; there were no new races. After much discussion, their respective evolutions were decided:

• Nijo Kamome: “Newhuman (Arabito)”

• Chief Shimizu: “Cat People”

• Fujita-san: “High Human”

• Towada-san: “Dark Elf”

• Goshogawara-san: “Dwarf”

It was a surprise that “Newhuman” was an option for Nijo’s evolution, just like me. The others chose races that suited their combat styles. I was shocked when I heard Goshogawara-san was evolving into a Dwarf, but then again, his weapon is literally a log… it fits him perfectly. I was worried about the racial trait where “height becomes smaller,” but Libera-san said it would just be a slight shrinking. Apparently, it’s because “the old man already has a Dwarf-like build anyway.” …Isn’t that mean?

Chief Shimizu choosing Cat People was also a surprise, but it has good compatibility with her “Spear User” job, so she picked it over High Human. A cat-eared boss… yeah, I think that’s acceptable. Though she’s cute in a calculating way, she is a single woman in her late twenties… She seems to be making moves on Fujita-san, but he doesn’t notice at all. Good luck with all that.

“Wait for me, Senpai. I’ll evolve, get stronger, and definitely catch up to you and that girl!”

“Yeah, do your best.”

That girl… meaning Ichinose-san?

To evolve, Nijo and the others returned to their respective rooms for the time being. After seeing them off, Libera-san spoke up.

“By the way, it looks like Natsu hasn’t evolved yet. What’s wrong?”

“She’s holding off because she has a certain idea.”

“Holding off? I gave you the info on each evolution, didn’t I? Among those, ‘Demi-Goddess’ is the best choice. Tokoyobito and High Mechanoid aren’t bad, but they’re a step behind Demi-Goddess.”

“No, actually—”

I told Libera-san about what Ichinose-san and I discussed yesterday. When I finished, Libera-san wore a look of shock.

“Are you sane? …That’s a ridiculous thing to think of. What kind of brain produces an outrageous idea like that…?”

“The idea was Ichinose-san’s. Honestly, I was surprised when I first heard it too.”

But in a way, it was an idea very characteristic of her. Libera-san looked half-exasperated.

“Well, certainly, if it succeeds, it might become a ‘trump card’ on par with that Divine Tree in the fight against the Vanguard… But I’m still against it. The risk if it fails is too high.”

“I said the same thing to her… but Ichinose-san gets strangely stubborn at times like this.”

However, I understand her reasoning.

—At this rate, I’ll never be able to catch up to Kudo-san.

That’s what she said. She wants to be on equal footing with us. She doesn’t want to be a burden. Honestly, she’s already been a more than sufficient force, and I’ve never once thought of her as a burden. Still, Ichinose-san herself wasn’t satisfied.

“…So, I decided to believe in her.”

“If you go that far, I won’t say anything more. Do as you like.”

Libera-san seemed to understand but not necessarily agree. Afterward, we chatted while confirming future training plans. During the conversation, Libera-san tried to approach Sui several times, only to be pelted with stones as expected. …Poor thing.

After leaving Libera-san, I headed to meet Nishino-kun and Igarashi-san. The student members, including Shibata-kun, are also nearly ready to evolve. Among them, the one who has already achieved evolution—following Nishino-kun and Igarashi-san—is Ohno-kun.

Well, in his case, he’s a monster, not a human, so it’s different from a normal evolution. The race he evolved into is “Lesser Vampire.” Compared to when he was a High Ghoul, his stats are enhanced, and he can now use several species-specific skills.

“I’m glad I got skills compatible with the ‘Envy’ I already had. W-with the current me, I might be able to win easily against anyone… hehehe.”

“Oh, really? Then, want to try a match with me?”

A few minutes later, he was beaten to a pulp by Rikka-chan. …Yeah, bad matchup. But complacency is no good. We have to be careful not to get cocky.

Also, Igarashi-san told me that her younger siblings have evolved as well. Her younger sister evolved into an “Elf,” and her younger brother into a “Dark Elf.” Since their combat styles were magic-focused, those are perfect for them.

“However, lately their pranks have become even more refined… I really wonder who they take after.”

Igarashi-san said that with a deep sigh. I haven’t seen those twins much lately, but it seems they’re still dragging everyone into their pace as usual.

(…Most of the key members have achieved evolution, and our fighting force is steadily coming together.)

According to reports from the exploration team, talented people who can serve as combatants are gradually gathering from other towns as well. Especially notable is a person heading here from Tokyo; they reportedly have very strong unique skills and jobs, so expectations are high.

“…Four months left until the Vanguard arrives, huh.”

How much more can we bolster our strength before the decisive battle? I’m curious about how the other side is moving, but there’s no way to check. All we can do is increase our power as much as possible in the remaining time. Because that’s all we can do.

End of 241