**Episode 036: Post-Apocalyptic Fresh Vigilante Squad**

“Heeeeee. We won’t do anything like this again, so please spare us~”

The defeated leader, now completely frightened, and his subordinates, who were instantly subdued, seem demoralized.

“What’s your name?”

“I’m Masayoshi Nakamura.”

“I see. Have you guys done this kind of thing since the current situation started?”

“This is our first time. We’ve never seen ordinary people like you walking around. Honestly, we were planning to threaten you, let you go, and hurry back home.”

“Hmm, I see.”

I couldn’t see these guys as particularly bad. It seemed like they were forcing themselves to intimidate us, but I understood the reason behind it.

There seemed to be no lies in their current words.

“Hey, what are you thinking?”

Shuji asks me while I stare at the men, arms crossed, lost in thought.

Well, I thought of turning them into a deterrent force for other factions.

“What do you mean?”

“Power leveling.”

“What!? These are the guys who attacked us, you know?”

I explain my answer to Shuji, who seems not to understand, and he approaches me with a face of incomprehension.

“These guys probably aren’t that bad. They’re just dressing up to make themselves look bigger.”

“Well, they weren’t that impressive, to be honest.”

Shuji reluctantly agrees with my statement.

“Of course, I don’t intend to give them equipment like ours. But if we leave them as they are, the public order around here might deteriorate.”

“That’s certainly true.”

Shuji nods in agreement while considering my speculation.

“But if there’s a group with some power, keeping an eye out, the security within that organization’s territory might not get that bad.”

“I see, that makes sense. Let them handle it then, I guess.”

“Exactly.”

“It’s not a bad idea.”

The two of us discuss the plan to turn the post-apocalyptic men into a vigilante group.

“Sorry for discussing this without you guys. What do you want us to do?”

“Oh, yeah. We want you guys to act as a kind of vigilante group, maintaining the security and safety around here.”

“Security? Isn’t that the job of the police or the Self-Defense Forces?”

The leader looks puzzled at my request.

“Do you think an organization that hasn’t moved properly for over a week can handle it?”

“Well, I mean, yeah, but…”

Explaining the current situation leaves him speechless.

So, I decide to dangle a bait in front of them.

“I don’t think it’s a bad deal for you guys either.”

“What do you mean?”

As I shift the conversation, the leader becomes interested.

“If you guys help people, you’ll gain trust from everyone and be in a respected position. And imagine what would happen if you saved a woman in crisis.”

“Are you suggesting…”

After hearing my explanation, the post-apocalyptic men present gulp audibly.

“Yes, you guys could become popular… probably.”

I drop the bait, murmuring the final part so it’s not audible.

These guys have no experience with women. It should be an irresistible lure.

“Seriously!?”

“Boss!! Let’s accept that offer!!”

“Yeah, we can’t turn it down!!”

“Boss did say he wants to be popular with the girls!!”

The subordinates eagerly take the bait, trying to persuade the leader.

“Shut up! Fine, I get it. I’ll reluctantly accept that offer. Not like I have a choice!!”

He says that with a face that truly shows he has no choice. It surprised me how eagerly they took the bait, but their motivation rising is a good thing.

“However, there are two conditions.”

At this point, I throw a bucket of cold water on them.

“W-what is it?”

The area fell silent at my statement, and everyone nervously waited for my next words.

“It means you’ll never do mischief like today again. Of course, there might be cases where you reluctantly have to get involved with someone to help. And you need to wear the provided uniform.”

“W-what… Is that all? You really got us on edge… I thought you were going to ask us to hand over the girl we helped.”

“Me too, me too!”

“Me three!”

As I sternly delivered my words, the leader let out a sigh of relief, and his subordinates followed suit.

“What do you guys think of me?”

Even though I feel like my impression has become quite strange, is it just my imagination?

“The Demon Lord?”

“Isn’t that too much?”

Despite Shuji being the one who extended them, for some reason, I’m the one they’re afraid of. Even though Shuji has a more menacing look and a more intense demeanor, why is that?

I shed a tear in my heart.

“Well, that aside, let’s get to your first task right away.”

“What is it?”

“First, change into this!”

In my sorrowful state, I couldn’t linger, so we moved on to the next step, which was dressing them in bodysuits.

“W-what is this!?”

“That’s right. This is the Shadow Suit that we’ll adopt as the official uniform for the inaugural Post-Apocalyptic Fresh Vigilante Team. It may look like a simple bodysuit, but it boasts overwhelming defensive capabilities compared to your current clothes. Change into this right away.”

What I presented was a gray bodysuit that came out of the Shadow’s treasure chest. If these guys are going to protect the town, they have to wear this. After all, my beloved work, ‘Assassin Girls,’ also wears bodysuits to protect the town.

I wonder why Shuji and Sato rejected it.

Why did they refuse?

It’s so cool.

“Post-Apocalyptic Fresh Vigilante Team!?”

“That’s right. It’s your team name. Isn’t it great?”

However, it seems they are more interested in the name than the bodysuit. They seem amazed at my high-quality naming.

“Hey, just tell us.”

“Well, it’s tough. You’re more suited for it.”

“Yeah, yeah, if we oppose him, he’ll go silent.”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s better not to go against him.”

They’re whispering behind my back, but is there something they want to say?

“By the way, is there an option to change the name to something else?”

The leader, sweating profusely and raising his hand, asks me. I hear things like “Well said,” “As expected of our leader,” and “We’ll follow you for life,” but that’s probably just my imagination.

What is this guy even talking about?

“There’s no way such an option exists. There’s no name more fantastic than this.”

“Y-yes, you’re right. That’s fine.”

When I confidently declared this, the leader seemed to agree. His subordinates seem to be saying something to him, but there’s no point in worrying about it.

“Now that your name is decided, let’s have you change into this right away.”

As soon as their name was decided, I handed them the bodysuits.

“If we don’t change into these…?”

“In that case, I’ll patiently explain the merits of the bodysuit to you.”

Some people still don’t seem to understand the merits of the bodysuit, so I smiled and said that.

“We’ll change immediately!”

Then the leader saluted crisply, and immediately, they went into a nearby building to change. The subordinates also quickly received the suits from me and rushed off.

“With this, the security around here should improve quite a bit.”

“Are you seriously saying that?”

“Of course.”

“It’s no good without Sato in times like this…”

I think I heard Shuji sighing and muttering something, but it was carried away by the wind, and I couldn’t hear it. And so, the organization for maintaining public order, the ‘Post-Apocalyptic Fresh Vigilante Team,’ was formed to be passed down through the generations.