kscans

Chapter 239 - What's With This Guy

That day, I was visiting a bar in the Supernatural World called "Naked Heart."

"There's something I just can't accept."

The owner, John Avalanche, an American, age forty-two, said with a deep sigh. Since I was the only customer, he was probably telling me. I took a sip from my glass and listened intently to what he had to say.

"The public's alienation from fast food."

What's he hoping to accomplish by telling me about something like that? I mean, I get that small talk is what it is, but come on.

"Fast food was supposed to be for the masses, for the common folk. Right?"

When I think back to my student days before I stepped into the Supernatural World, when I had no money, well, yeah. I was basically broke in middle and high school, so I was grateful for cheap fast food that filled me up.

"But despite that, burgers, pizza, and beef bowls just keep getting more expensive every year. Is there any injustice greater than this?"

Yeah, there is. It's called inflation and rising labor costs. The people providing it are running a business. It can't be helped. But I get what you're trying to say. It's still cheap, but the price hikes sting like that annoying little bit of poison damage in an RPG. If you want to eat until you're full, the accumulated poison damage adds up to a pretty hefty price. At that point, you start thinking you might as well go for something more expensive but more satisfying, and you stop going. I wonder what students these days are doing. Have their allowances gone up compared to when I was a kid?

"As it moves away from the masses, the masses in turn keep their distance. It's a vicious cycle."

"But John, they're also making efforts on their end, like improving the quality to match the price hike."

"I'm not looking for that level of quality from fast food. The heart of fast food is its sloppy deliciousness and the sloppy feeling of being full."

I looked at the muscle-bound gorilla on the other side of the counter as he passionately laid out his theory. Come to think of it, I've known this guy for a pretty long time. Longer than Chika-san, with whom I lost touch for a while.

When did I meet this guy... Right, I think it was the night before the final battle.

Things had gotten kind of tense with Chika-san, or Chika-chan as she was back then, but we parted ways with nothing happening, and I was feeling a little sulky. I couldn't sleep, so I was walking the streets at night when this guy appeared.

"You look down, Superman. Tried to score a one-night stand with that girl you like and failed?"

"I'm going to kill you."

"...Whoa, sorry. It was a joke, but... I see. Ah, yeah. As a man, I understand how you feel."

"Don't sympathize with me or I'll kill you."

Back then, I was as sharp as a knife.

"Hmph... So, what do you want with me?"

It was obvious he wasn't an enemy. If he were, he was far too open, and more importantly, there was no malice from him. Some could hide it skillfully, and some could kill an enemy without malice. But John was neither of those.

"Why do you fight?"

"Huh?"

"The Mutual Aid Society. And the unaffiliated individuals who cooperate with them. They are all, to varying degrees, going into this final battle with some thought for the state of the world."

But you're different, aren't you? His eyes were eloquent.

"You're less interested in the state of the world than you are in the latest hit charts. So why do you fight?"

"...I wonder why. I don't know myself."

Because I want to protect Chika-chan. Because my two best friends have steeled themselves for the fight of their lives and are waiting for me. I could cook up any number of plausible reasons, but if you asked me if any of them were my "core," I don't think I could call them that.

"Maybe I'll find out when the fight is over. So I guess you could say my reason is to go look for it."

That was my answer. Not that I ever figured it out in the end. In fact, I only just remembered this conversation now. I'd completely forgotten about it back then. I was probably just feeling sentimental because I failed to get laid. I mean, after it was all over, I went straight to a game shop and played a new release all night. It was super fun, by the way. It's a timeless classic even now. Maybe I'll go look for it at some used game stores on my way home.

"I see."

John gave a small nod and left. The next time he appeared was a few hours later. A large army appeared to block my way as I tried to storm the main fortress. I had thinned them out beforehand, but there were plenty of ways to prepare troops, like familiars, magical beasts, and golems. Looking at their numbers and quality, I immediately decided I should be the one to lead the charge, and that's when he casually showed up.

"Soul-searching. Very youthful. Go on."

With bandoliers wrapped around his body and an assault rifle in each hand. John said it, looking like a tough guy out of a B-list action movie. I thought. What's with this guy?

The next time I ran into John was a few dozen minutes later. Inside the enemy's main fortress. It was a complex dungeon designed to delay me, and I was having trouble navigating it, but I was just about to reach where Takahashi was. An ambush appeared to block my advance. Just then, a slightly wounded John appeared from behind me.

"Go. Your buddy's waiting, isn't he?"

John said, firing his assault rifles with a flourish worthy of a movie. I thought. What's with this guy?

The next time I ran into John was a few dozen minutes later. Just before I reached Suzuki, another ambush appeared.

"Did you find what you were looking for? Not yet. Then you have to keep going."

John said, pulling the pin of a grenade with his teeth. I thought. What's with this guy?

The next time I ran into John was after I defeated Yanagi and Onisaki and prevented the birth of the Artificial God. The birth was prevented, but from its corpse, countless Aberrations, later called angels, appeared and filled the sky. Just as I was thinking what a pain this was, a battered John casually appeared next to me.

"Looks like the end credits are still a ways off. But if you blow these guys away, that girl's kiss is just around the corner. Man up, Superman."

John said, shouldering a rocket launcher. What's with this guy, I thought, as I launched into the sky at the same time John fired his rocket.

"...Hey, Hiro. Who in the world is that foreigner acting like your partner?"

Chika-chan, who was flying alongside me, asked in a bewildered tone. She had been reading the room and staying quiet until now, but it seemed she couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Beats me."

Even after that, our relationship continued, not particularly close, but just kind of dragging on to this day. Looking at the muscle-bound gorilla still passionately discussing his fast food theory on the other side of the counter, I thought.

What's with this guy.

I never even got that girl's kiss in the end, damn it...