Chapter 6

"No, no, no."

I felt something cross the corner of my vision as I stood in the kitchen.

Something black, fast, and primitive, evoking a primal fear. It looked like something from the tropics, classified under the class Insecta, order Blattodea.

"No, no, no, no."

I tried to laugh it off as a figment of my imagination, but I could feel a strong presence, as if it was definitely there. It was like a distant memory from when humans wielded stone spears and roamed the wilderness, sounding an alarm.

"Alright, calm down. First, let's assess the situation."

In my hands were a rice bowl and a ladle. Steam rose from the miso soup with tofu and fried tofu on the stove, and the aroma of the broth was making my mouth water.

The rice cooker held white rice that had been steaming for ten minutes, and next to the sink was a tray of pork belly marinated in ginger sauce. It was a special blend I made by adding a little sake, extra ginger, and a secret ingredient, mayonnaise, to a ready-made sauce from the supermarket. All I had to do was cook it in a frying pan, and I’d have a hot and delicious ginger pork.

Further ahead, the refrigerator. Whether I bought it with the dream of living with someone or not, the large 300-liter fridge contained pickled radish for a side dish and pudding for dessert.

And then, on the wall that shouldn’t have had it, a black shadow appeared...

"DEEEHHHHH!"

A strange sound escaped my lips. I couldn’t even say Mio’s name.

"Damn, I had a hunch when I saw the state of the room!"

I had read in a book that those black devils had spread across Japan by hiding in cardboard boxes, and it wouldn’t be surprising if they had taken up residence in Mio’s room, where she often left boxes from online shopping and moves.

"Cool it, Matsu Tomi Yūji. I found the G-killer in the daytime. It’s a flagship product of A-Pharmaceuticals, so it should be effective. But the location is the kitchen, and the time is dinner. I can’t use any sprays."

The conclusion was clear.

"I’m screwed."

I’m screwed. My brain and mouth were in sync with how screwed I was.

No, wait, not yet. If I were alone, I’d be screwed, but there’s one more person in this house. She has a bit of an unconventional hygiene concept, but maybe she’s okay with G. I don’t like the idea of relying on a woman, but there’s no other choice.

"Mio—"

"FOOOOOU!!"

BAM!!

Just as I turned to call her, the door to Mio’s bedroom burst open with a loud bang.

There she was, Mio, emerging in a pose that Keanu Reeves or Steven Seagal might use when breaking through a window. And she was in the middle of changing.

"Top and bottom match!"

They were both light blue. I was a bit happy to see her in such a natural state.

Still, her appearance was too quick. It felt like she had come out before I even called her. Even in her tired mode, Mio had never come out in her underwear before.

All these questions were blown away by the black wind that crawled out of the bedroom after Mio.

"Flank... attack..."

Mio must have been pushed back here in a battle with it. Even though they say where there’s one, there are thirty, a simultaneous attack was unexpected.

Mio rolled over to me, like Bruce Willis in an action movie, to escape the approaching black dragon. She stopped at my feet.

"Mio! Just to confirm, are you okay with G!?"

"Abaki gokiba baba baba ababa!"

"It’s no good, she’s glitching! Restart, Mio, restart! Most issues are fixed that way!"

"Gogogokikia baba baba!"

Unfortunately, Mio doesn’t have that function. She clung to my waist, shaking and uttering incoherent words. The tears in her wide eyes clearly showed that my last hope was immediately dashed.

Mio, in her lacy underwear, clung to my waist. Normally, this would be a situation that could destroy one’s rationality, but now we had no such luxury.

Meanwhile, the enemy that had been observing from the wall next to the refrigerator seemed to start advancing towards us.

"Is everything lost...? No, I can’t say that."

If I were alone, I would have given up. I would have abandoned the warm dinner, the summer clothes I had laid out, the books, and the two-seater sofa that had never been used, and evacuated outside. I would have run to a drugstore and discreetly slipped B-100 through the front door.

But now, I am Mio Sōgo’s neighbor and coworker.

I couldn’t escape with Mio, who was in her E-cup underwear, and leaving her behind was out of the question. As a man, I had to steel myself.

"———!!"

The moment I made up my mind, my hot head cooled down instantly.

That’s right. It’s just a bug, with no poison or fangs. There’s nothing to fear if I think about it calmly.

An insect that can’t evolve until it reaches Mars shouldn’t be able to outpace the latest Homo sapiens. 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