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“What do you think about the rankings, Lulu?”
“I don’t particularly care about them. Actually…”
“Is there something on your mind?”
“It’s nothing.”

A recorder’s microphone was pointed toward me as I answered the male reporter’s questions. Apparently, they were in the process of creating a ranking of Warriors, and this time, the national defense agency had insisted, so I agreed to the interview. More precisely, I had something I wanted to ask of the agency, and in exchange for granting it, I agreed to speak.

Still, why did they want to rank the Warriors by strength in the first place? Even if they did, I couldn’t see much meaning in it.

“As expected, Lulu seems just as cool and composed as we’ve heard. Is that confidence born of faith in your own strength?”
“I simply want to live peacefully here. I’m not interested in how strong other people are. Besides, I can’t use my power recklessly within a city.”
“What do you mean by ‘recklessly’?”
“My power is… crude. This area is fine because I’ve spent time setting up defenses, but elsewhere the aftereffects could damage the town.”

I was aware that I was being vague, but this part had already been discussed with the defense agency. In fact, they had asked me to phrase it this way. They needed a reason to explain why I never left this area. At the same time, I couldn’t appear vulnerable, so this was the answer we settled on.

“That certainly explains why you rose to the top ranks in record time. Having defeated an abnormal specimen alone, many predict you may eventually take first place. By the way, it’s said you won’t be participating in the next International Warrior Tournament.”
“The venue might get destroyed. And it would be a problem if a Calamity appeared while I was away from here.”

Rebuilding a base would probably be easy enough, but I had a contract to protect this area, and I had no intention of leaving. Even if I stayed here, I could grasp the state of the world well enough to do my work.

“In a way, events like that can only happen because you’re protecting this region. Changing the subject, what do you usually do in your daily life, Lulu?”
“If no Calamities appear, I compile reports.”
“Reports?”
“Think of it as part of my job.”
“You could live comfortably just being a Warrior, couldn’t you?”
“It’s not for money. Calling it my life’s work might be easier to understand.”
“So not only are you strong, you’re diligent as well.”

With that, the reporter wrapped up the interview, thanked me, and left.

◇◇◇

“There’s something I need to apologize to you for, Lulu.”
“For not using honorifics without permission?”
“That’s not it.”

It had been about a year since I came to this world. The collision between worlds was drawing close, though most people didn’t even know it, and the Calamities appearing had grown both more numerous and more powerful, with abnormal specimens becoming increasingly common.

The top-ranked warriors had been informed about the impending collision, and today, most of the world’s top rankers were gathering to figure out how to deal with it. I remained at my base, officially on standby in case something happened. He, the man who had surpassed my rank at some point, shouldn’t really have been here either. But apparently, he had something he wanted to say, no matter what, and so he came.

“For a while after I became a Warrior, I kept taking it out on you.”
“Well… that’s true. Though I don’t recall permitting you to call me ‘you.’”
“Back then, I wasn’t thinking straight. I couldn’t stop thinking that if you’d defeated the Calamity sooner, my sister would still be alive. But… you had a reason you couldn’t act earlier, didn’t you, Lulu?”
“I won’t deny that.”
“So… I’m sorry. If you hadn’t defeated that thing, even this town, the place full of memories with my sister, would’ve been wiped out. And all I could think about was myself.”

I looked at the man bowing his head with a mixture of disbelief and exasperation. Though he didn’t seem to notice my reaction at all. Honestly, instead of apologizing, I thought he should devote every ounce of effort to the imminent crisis. How he planned to do that, I hadn’t bothered asking.

“Aren’t you running out of time?”
“Hey, Lulu… if we meet again, there’s something I want to tell you.”
“If you have time to think about that, you should go solve the problem in front of you already. If you don’t take the easy way out, I might even feel inclined to protect things a little more seriously.”
“What do you mean by—”

Before he could finish, one of the rankers flew in and grabbed his arm. She was a woman with a loudness entirely different from Fumitsuki’s. She had often tried to drag me out somewhere, but once she realized I couldn’t, or wouldn’t, leave this place, she started visiting with souvenirs instead.

“Knew you’d be here. Lu has work to do, too, so don’t get in the way. Come on, let’s go.”
“Hey, wai…”
“See you later, Lu. Let’s have tea when this is over.”
“Do your best so that’s possible,” I replied.

I waved as she dragged the man toward the defense agency.

Not long after, the largest abnormal specimen ever recorded appeared near my base. It wasn’t my enemy. So I watched, observing what choice the Warriors of this world would make. And then I saw it. A huge mass of magic, fired with the sole purpose of destruction. A sigh rose from the depths of my heart.