Surviving in a World Teeming with Monsters with the Useless Skill 【Everyday Items Master】! I Was Just Hunting Wild Animals with a Crowbar, So Why Is Everyone Screaming It's an S-Rank Monster? - 112

Chapter 112: Children Are a Reflection of Their Parents

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We kept moving forward, and in the end, we had no choice but to get out of the car.

“Whoa… Look at this, Aniki. The grass tangled in the tires is crying.”

“We’re the ones who should be crying after our car got wrecked.”

The tiny flower tangled around the tire had a face in the center, a pacifier in its mouth, and was literally wailing. I glared at it.

“Waaah! Waaah!” 

Then don’t tangle yourself up in the first place.

It was a change that felt like Luna’s influence, but it was different from the brainwashed zombies. In other words, it gave off the same vibe as the dungeon where we’d found Luna… Or rather, something very similar to Alice in Wonderland.

It had been a few minutes since Rick rejoined us, right beneath the radio tower. Rick had already left the area. 

“This encore ends here.”

He had said. That damn guy, always trying to be cool to the end. His antics were starting to grow on me. By now, there were no more pursuing brainwashed zombies. Rick had run over a bunch on his way out, so I figured he’d cleaned up after us to the very end. I really owed him one.

I stood up from checking the tires and spoke to everyone.

“Well, now that we’re this far, the car doesn’t matter. Let’s talk things through with Luna properly, then get ready for the battle against Team Ashura.”

“Got it.”

“Yeah. Let’s do that.”

“Understood, sir.”

The three of them answered one after another. I looked up at the radio tower and asked.

“…By the way, does this thing have an elevator?”

There was no such convenient thing as an elevator—and the stairs were half rusty in places—so we ended up entering a nearby building instead.

The plan was as followed. First, we’d climb the closest building. Next, from the rooftop, Botan would use her super jump, and Shachimaru would deploy a water-based paraglider to carry us to the upper section of the radio tower. If we could get to the upper area, there’d be hardly any obstacles left. All we’d have to do was climb to the top floor and we’d be able to meet Luna again.

As we climbed the building’s staircase, I asked Shachimaru:

“Shachimaru, your skill is way too handy. You can make a paraglider too?”

“I can. Leave it to me.”

“So convenient.”

There were probably tons of problems that could be solved with Shachimaru alone.

Well, of course. He’s the head of an organization with over a hundred members and he’s only 22 years old to the boot. No wonder he’s that experienced and capable. 

“Shachimaru, you’re amazing…”

“Please, praise me more. I can never get enough praise from you, Aniki.”

“You’re talking like you’re on sale or something.”

Meanwhile, behind us, the girls were chatting away.

“Hey, Angel. Don’t you think Shachimaru-san is getting a little too close to Taku?”

“I thought so too. What do we do? It’s getting kinda annoying.”

“I’ll let it slide for now since we’re allies, but if it keeps up, we should do something.”

“Yeah. Leave the plan to me.”

Shachimaru then said. 

“Will I be killed by the Ane-sans once this battle is over?”

“Stay strong.”

“Aniki has already abandoned me…”

Poor Shachimaru. He was in utter dread. Just then, we came upon a section of the stairs that had collapsed over several steps.

“Hmm, should we go around here? Botan, can you make it?”

“Hmm… Let’s detour. The footing here is a bit weak, so if I jump hard, this part might collapse.”

“Got it.”

We stepped off the staircase onto the floor at that level. It was several dozen meters above the ground—a high floor. If we could find another staircase from here to go higher, we could reach the rooftop with no problem.

The floor was glass-walled, and the ceiling had collapsed, revealing the upper level above us almost entirely. What stood out, possibly due to Luna’s influence, was that the inorganic objects there had taken on animal-like traits and moved about.

A tin can was crawling like a snail in its shell. A centipede made of wire. A butterfly with wings of shattered glass. These strange beings moved around inside the ruins, oddly overgrown with greenery.

And then….

Luna, Ui, and the Fashionable Goblin were looking down at us from the intact part of the upper floor.

“Luna…!”

I reflexively called out her name loudly. Luna, flanked by Ui and the Fashionable Goblin, silently looked down at me.

What was she thinking? How should I start this conversation? As I struggled to find the words, Luna spoke.

“How was it, Onii-sama? Don’t you think my ability is wonderful?”

“…Huh?”

Dumbfounded, I asked her to repeat it, and Luna began to explain.

“Onii-sama decided that my ability was a bad thing. After I ran away from you, that thought kept bothering me and wouldn’t go away. But…!”

Luna continued.

“I thought that if I spread my ability far and wide and showed it off, Onii-sama would realize that my ‘let’s-all-get-along ability’ is actually wonderful! So I went ahead and did it!”

Images of that nightmare flooded my mind. Those brainwashed zombies who could enslave you with just a glance. The bizarre, rapidly growing natural elements that kept getting in our way.

“So, how was it, Onii-sama! You’ve changed your mind now, right? You’ve realized my ability is a wonderful power, haven’t you? If you apologize and reflect on your mistake, I’ll forgive you right away and we can make up!”

She puffed her chest out and smiled smugly. To that, I…

“Do-…. Do-…”

“Yes? Onii-sama, please speak louder.”

“—Don’t screw with me, you damn brattttttttttttt!”

“Eep!?”

As I shouted, Luna flinched and hid behind Ui with teary eyes. But I didn’t stop.

“‘Changed your mind,’ my ass! Do you have any idea how much hell we’ve gone through because of your little whim!?”

“O-Onii-sama… That’s just you being stubborn—”

“This isn’t about being stubborn, you lunatic brat! Our transport car got swarmed, I nearly had to kill myself on the spot, it’s been a total nightmare, you crazy little psycho!”

“Crazy little psycho!?”

A calm adult might have taken this opportunity—when Luna was at least trying to compromise—to slip into her heart, soothe her, and then talk things out. But I wasn’t that mature, and I couldn’t choose the easy and reliable route.

So I said it.

“Everyone! Time to knock some sense into those insane morons! Let’s go give ‘em a good lecture!”

“Taku, try to calm down a little.”

“Uuuuuhh! I-I don’t care about Onii-sama anymore! Mad Hatter! March Hare! Get Onii-sama and the others out of here now!”

“Ehh… March Hare thinks we should just talk things out, you know…”

Luna and I were the only ones shouting our heads off, while the rest looked at us with a mix of disinterest and mild concern. But it was too late to stop now. With Luna and me at the center, the full-scale showdown between the seven of us had begun.

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