As Long as You Have the [Shop] Skill, the Dungeonized World Is a Breeze ~The Bullied Youth’s Payback Lifestyle~ - Chapter 257

Chapter 257 – To the Church

It all happened so suddenly.

A huge, rugged armored vehicle broke through the gate and invaded.

Cars rushed into the compound one after another, and armed men emerged from each one.

Without asking any questions, they fired their guns at the confused followers, killing them before they even had a chance to defend themselves.

I, Shakuhara Keika, watched the scene unfold from inside the building.

At that moment, my best friend Riwa and I were headed to Torimoto Kentaro’s room.

Riwa had something she wanted to give him. It was a scarf.

Lately, Riwa had been staying up late to knit this scarf, saying it would help him stay warm in the coming winter.

I told her that there was no need to go through that much trouble for a man, to just go to sleep. But to Riwa, Torimoto was her benefactor and someone who listened to her talk about her troubles.

She also said that when she and I had an argument, he was the one who had given us the chance to reconcile, and that was why she wanted to repay him somehow.

…Well, I was also grateful to him for helping me make up with Riwa and for healing her when she had been fatally wounded because she covered for me that time.

“”

It was because of these things that I, too, believed… just a tiny bit, maybe… that he was different from other men.

The invasion occurred just as we were about to visit Torimoto’s room.

“K-Kei-chan, everyone is…!” (Saniwa)
Riwa grabbed my sleeve in a panic.

“C-Calm down! Remember what the manual said to do for this kind of situation!” (Shakuhara)
I was aware that what we were doing was sure to incur resentment and that we could be attacked at any time.

In order to be prepared for such a situation, there was a manual detailing exactly what to do. It had been devised by the hunting faction, who were experienced fighters, and Founder-sama in order to protect everyone.

As a matter of fact, the church had a passageway to an underground waterway through which non-combatants could escape. The hunting faction would intercept the enemy and make time for everyone to escape, giving priority to Founder-sama. After everyone got away, they themselves would escape.

“B-But Kei-chan! The hunting faction is pretty much gone…” (Saniwa)

“….That’s right.” (Saniwa)
The combat forces that would serve as our shield in situations like these had recently left in its entirety. Many of the people who remained here now were non-combatants. Even if they had weapons in their hands, they were all incapable of handling them properly.

I could fight, but I didn’t think that I would be able to survive against that many people. And putting me aside… I couldn’t let Riwa die, could I?

I wouldn’t let my best friend die. This was the one thing I couldn’t compromise on. Her life was an even greater priority to me than the life of Founder-sama.

“…Let’s head to the underground waterway right away.” (Shakuhara)
“Eh? But everyone else is…” (Saniwa)
“Just think for yourself right now! Are you sure you want to die here?!” (Shakuhara)
“……..Fine. Ah, but…” (Saniwa)
“Is there anything else?” (Shakuhara)
“W-We have to save Torimoto-sama!” (Saniwa)
Ah, right. Come to think of it, that guy was still here.

Honestly, I didn’t really care. If he died, then he died, but…

“Leave him be. I heard that he’s pretty strong, despite how he may seem.” (Shakuhara)

“No! He’s my benefactor… And it’s because of Torimoto-sama that you and I were able to make up!” (Saniwa)
In the end, Riwa couldn’t abandon him. Then there was no helping it.

“Ugh, fine! Then let’s hurry up and get him out of here as soon as possible!” (Shakuhara)
“Yeah! Thanks, Kei-chan!” (Saniwa)
Geez, I have no idea what she finds so great about that guy.

Her smile looks so bright… Men will all just betray you in the end.

The face of a certain man appeared in my mind. But I quickly shook my head and dismissed it.

When we arrived at Torimoto’s room, which was nearby, he was already standing in front of the door with a grim look on his face.

“Torimoto-sama!” (Saniwa)
“Saniwa-san, Shakuhara-san? What in the world is going on?” (Torimoto)
“Let’s head to the church first! We’ll explain to you on the way!” (Saniwa)
“It doesn’t seem to be a trivial matter. Either way, that person told me to act at my own discretion in emergency situations…” (Torimoto)
“Huh? Did you say something?” (Shakuhara)
He seemed to have been muttering something. When I asked him what he said, he just waved it off and said it was nothing. So I just left it at that.

“What are you going to do when you get to the church?” (Torimoto)
Riwa and I immediately said to head to the church, so Torimoto was naturally curious about why.

“Founder-sama is probably also headed to the church. There’s an escape route there that the invaders don’t know about.” (Shakuhara)
“I see. Do you know who the attackers are?” (Torimoto)
“No clue. Probably people who have grudges against us.” (Shakuhara)
“They mostly seemed pretty young, but they didn’t look like ordinary civilians.” (Torimoto)
“They definitely weren’t ordinary people. Those people suddenly broke into the compound by ramming the door down with an armored car. They’re probably more like us.” (Shakuhara)
At the very least, I had enough self-awareness to know that we weren’t ordinary civilians.

“It doesn’t matter what kind of people they are. We have to escape now.” (Shakuhara)
If we stayed here, Riwa would get hurt. That girl was too kind. If she saw one of her friends getting hurt right in front of her, she might rush out and retaliate.

“By the way, what’s in the paper bag, Saniwa-san?” (Torimoto)
Observant man. He seemed to be curious about what was in the paper bag that Riwa was holding.