**Episode 018: Cheat of Cheats”

The sight of those two was familiar.

“Satoshi and Shuji!?”

They were individuals I wished to be alive and well, my childhood friends. They were in casual clothes, armed with a bat and an iron pipe. Their clothes were dirty, but they seemed uninjured. Somehow, they managed to get through.

Truly, Satoshi and Shuji.

“Rokudo-kun!?”
“Rokudo!?”

They recognized me by my voice and called out my name in surprise.

“Yeah, it’s me.”
“As expected. I’m glad you’re safe.”
“There’s no way you’d die from something like this.”
“You too. I’m really glad you’re okay.”

We approached each other, exchanged shoulder taps, and celebrated our safety.

“By the way, are your families okay?”
“I’ve been in contact with mine. The internet is still working.”
“I see. My phone ran out of battery, so I couldn’t get through.”
“No wonder we couldn’t contact you.”

It seemed their families were alright. That was a relief. With them around, there might be more we could do.

“Anyway, meeting you guys at this time is fortunate.”
“Why?”

“Because we can set up a watch.”

“That’s true. With three of us rotating, each person can get a decent amount of rest.”

“If you think about it simply, with one person watching for three hours, the first and third person can have six hours of uninterrupted rest. The second person only has a break in the first three hours and the last three hours. Even so, it’s sufficient rest.”

“The second one has a bit of a disadvantage. So, who’s going to be on duty first?”
Shuji expressed his dissatisfaction, looking at me as if my idea of the second person having a different rest time was strange.

“Let’s settle it with rock-paper-scissors without holding grudges.”
“Sounds good.”
“Alright.”

We decided to play rock-paper-scissors based on Satoshi’s suggestion. The result…

“Sigh… So I’m the second one…”
It turned out Shuji would be the second one on duty. The concept of him being at a disadvantage must have attracted him through the spoken word.

“Anyway, it’s still too early to sleep. Shouldn’t we share information and discuss our plans for the future?”
“That’s a good idea.”

It would be better to share information, even if briefly.

We moved to the living room. Luckily, electricity, gas, and water were still functioning. To avoid attracting Shadows with electricity, we used candlelight.

“It seems like Satoshi and Shuji have awakened too.”
“You too.”

Three men gathered around a low table. We began sharing our stories. The atmosphere made it clear that we had awakened to our stats.

“What were your occupations, by the way?”
“Samurai and assassin.”
“Fits your personalities perfectly.”

Their occupations suited them well. Despite appearances, Shuji was serious and straightforward, while Satoshi, with his good looks, had a darker side, engaging in various activities behind the scenes.

“Yeah, I think so too.”
“I also feel like it suits me.”

Satisfied with my assessment, Shuji and Satoshi laughed, the three of us sitting around the table.

“Rokudo, what about you? You look like a swordsman. By the way, what’s with that equipment?”
Shuji leaned back, supporting himself with his hands, looking at my gear.

“Oh, yeah. I’m a Crafter, Sword Saint, Sage, Saint, Shield Knight, and Master Tamer. The equipment is drop items from those guys.”
“What!?”

However, when I answered, their eyes widened.

I can understand that reaction, yeah, yeah. I myself doubted my eyes at first.

“Hey hey, what’s the meaning of this?”
Shuji came back to his senses, sat up, and questioned me again.

“I have six stats.”
“What the!? What’s with that cheat!!? That’s way too unfair!”
“Hahaha. Rokudo-kun has always been like that, right?”
In response to my answer, Shuji expressed indignation, and Satoshi, with an amused expression, burst into laughter.
“I  guess it wasn’t a mistake for us to come here.”
“That’s right. Like I said earlier, you’ve always had a knack for showing extraordinary luck at crucial times.”
It seemed they came here not only out of concern but also because they believed that being with me would increase their chances of survival.
“Is that so?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
I don’t remember much, but if Satoshi says so, it might be true. Although, I feel like he’s exaggerating a bit.
“And your job doesn’t seem like an ordinary one, right?”
“Is that so?”
Shuji looked a bit clueless as he asked.
“Because you’re a Sword Saint. That’s definitely not normal, right?”
“Indeed, it might be. I was with my classmates, and Sanada said he was a swordsman.”
Now that I think about it, Sanada was a swordsman. Considering the resonance of the title “Sword Saint,” it was clearly a high-ranking job for a swordsman.
Shuji nodded in agreement with Satoshi’s explanation.
Stats on top of advanced jobs. Having six stats alone was already a cheat, but with advanced jobs, it was like the cheat of cheats.
“What kind of abilities can you use?”
“Well, today I was helping people and searching for you guys, so I haven’t really tested it. Besides, I can get by without using skills.”
Shuji, curious, continued to inquire, but I shook my head and shrugged.
“Well, with six stats, dealing with Shadows is a breeze.”
“Well, that’s true. By the way, you guys also call them Shadows, huh?”
Satoshi talked interestingly.
I knew from appraising the drop items that they were called Shadows, but it seemed Satoshi had come up with the name himself.
“Yeah, they’re exactly what they look like.”
“But that assessment isn’t wrong.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. Most of the weapons and armor we get as drops from them have the name ‘Shadow’ in them. I’ve never appraised Shadows themselves, but they probably are.”

We unified in calling them Shadows.

“By the way, you mentioned earlier that you were with Sanada. What happened to them?”
“Well, you see…”
Shuji remembered my earlier mention of Sanada and asked me about it. I recounted the events of today.
“I can’t forgive those guys!!”
“Seriously. Next time, should we stab them from behind?”
Hearing my story, the two expressed their anger in their own ways.
“No, no, it’s fine. They didn’t know I was this cheat. Besides, they missed the opportunity to benefit from my power. They’ll probably go through a tough time too.”
“That’s true. Let’s consider revenge when they’re swaggering around.”
“Right. Let’s plan it properly.”
After calming down the two who were furious, they understood. It seemed like revenge was a definite decision.
Because of the world we lived in, I had decided not to help them again; that, to me, was the greatest revenge.

After that, we shared the information each of us had, and as the night progressed, we took turns on watch, getting some rest.

*Ding*
When I was about to sleep, the sound of my charged  smartphone rang.
“Huh? Who is it?”
I opened my  smartphone. The names Yuna and Kana were there. Their message thanked me for today’s help.
I replied, asking them not to worry about it, and closed my eyes.
What will happen to the world…?
Thinking about the future made me anxious, but before I knew it, my consciousness melted into darkness.