My Refrigerator Turned Into A Dungeon
Chapter 329

Reunion Trouble

A forestry truck speeding through the greenery.

Overloaded, swaying, almost spilling its load. At the intersection, no traffic lights, just honking to pass through. But it’s groaning, so if it hits a slope, I’ll get off and push. Clank clank!

And just like that, we arrived at Kusatsu’s hot spring town.

The truck pulled up to a fairly large hotel. From what I gathered, people evacuated from nearby areas are currently staying in places like schools, community centers, and even the hotel’s grand hall, living as evacuees.

On the other hand, with the declaration that the stampede has ended, national support has stopped.

But even though the stampede might be over, people in areas where lifelines haven’t been restored are left hanging, forced to live as evacuees without any support.

Yeah… I get that it’s tough.

But having heard from Roa-san, a self-defense officer, about the dire shortage of supplies, I can’t help but feel a certain way.

Then, Sasayama-san, the boar hunter, got off the truck and said he’d discuss food distribution with the manager before heading into the hotel.

“Machi~!”

“Ah, everyone! You’re all doing well~?”

As if swapping places, Serai-san’s friends appeared in the parking lot. Smiling as they ran over, they took each other’s hands, rejoicing in their long-awaited reunion.

(A reunion with friends, huh? Hehe, Serai-san looks so happy.)

Watching this scene from the truck bed, I thought, “Yeah, they must have a lot to catch up on, so I won’t rudely interrupt.” I squinted at the distant green mountains and quietly kept watch over the luggage.

But then, several cars with a sharp, heavy bass vibe rolled into the peaceful parking lot. Armed youths poured out, instantly making the area noisy.

(Hmm, it seems those guys are ability users too. Locals, maybe?)

I didn’t sense much power, but since they’re armed enough to fight monsters, that must be the case.

Judging from the license plates, they’re definitely locals. They were noisy among themselves while unloading something from their cars.

(Hmm… Oh, could they be the ones who dropped the mountain goblin in front of my car?)

Well, it’s not like they dropped it on purpose—more like it fell off by accident.

It was probably unavoidable, but thinking about it now, it’s a bit annoying. Still, I don’t have any proof, so I’m not planning to do anything about it right now. As I observed, some of them noticed Serai-san chatting with her friends.

They tapped shoulders, called out names, and gathered around, approaching Serai-san with one guy leading the way.

“Hey! You’re safe, Machi! Long time no see. I’ve been worried about you!”

The guy called out to Serai-san with a beaming smile.

Not exactly a stunningly handsome guy, but among his group, he was definitely the good-looking one. He seemed to put a lot of effort into his appearance, with a styled haircut, a watch, a necklace, and earrings—fully equipped with fashionable items.

“Ah, hey… But don’t worry.”

But Serai-san, on the other hand, took a step back, half-turning away with a cold response. Her tone was low, clearly showing she was upset.

(Huh, what’s going on here…?)

Trying to gather more info, I glanced around. Serai-san’s friends already looked like they wanted to leave. Behind the guy who called out, his group was making noise, but one woman among them was glaring at Serai-san with piercing eyes.

(Hmm, something’s definitely fishy here…)

Still, it’s not like I, a complete stranger, should step in without any context.

Yeah, I’m within sight, and if things really go south, Serai-san will probably call for help. Alright, I’ll keep watching for now.

“If you were coming back, you could’ve at least called. I would’ve come to pick you up.”

“Ah… I just went back to check on my family.”

“Machi. You know about special labyrinth ability users, right? Well, I’m one now. To put it simply, I’m strong. So I can protect you.”

“I’m in the middle of helping a friend right now. So, I’m busy. Let’s talk later.”

The conversation wasn’t going anywhere.

While the guy kept talking in a friendly manner, Serai-san remained cold. Then, urging her friends along, she turned her back to him and started walking toward the hotel.

“Hey, wait! You were just chatting away earlier! I saw you from the car!!”

Seemingly reaching his limit, the guy ran up and grabbed Serai-san’s right shoulder from behind.

(Whoa. Even if they know each other, I can’t just let that slide.)

“Don’t touch me!!”

“Gyah!?”

But before I could jump down from the truck bed, there was a crack, and the guy’s right arm bent at an odd angle.

The chop Serai-san delivered to shake off his grip had easily broken his arm. Oh dear, did she unconsciously add some [Iron Fist] to that?

“Gaaah, it hurts! Dammit, Machi, you…!”

Kneeling in pain, the guy glared at Serai-san, who had just injured him.

“Huh, why?! How did it break so easily?!”

Meanwhile, Serai-san, flustered, blurted out her thoughts without thinking. Hmm, even without malice, that just sounds like taunting.

“““………”””

Oh, come on… Even the noisy group behind him fell silent. Well, this is a mess.