chapter2 · 025-ep25

Episode 25: Observation and Assistance

Sunday morning.

I was on my way to the designated meeting point.

The Central Park Gate — famous even within the city.

It sat in a corner of the cityscape, a little removed from the station district.

Across the road you could see ordinary shops and apartment buildings, and yet that one fenced-off block alone breathed different air.

The huge black sphere floating at its center — the so-called Gate.

Seen again after all this time, it's as sinister as ever.

I went into this thing alone, huh.

Truly not sane of me, I thought, here at this late date.

Guards and staff moving around it.

A reception tent.

Vehicles loaded down with equipment.

A white car that very much said government office.

And at the edge of the block they'd even pitched a simple tent, where several adults were deep in discussion over tablets.

Yeah.

This is completely the field.

More "field" than I'd imagined.

Time rewinds a bit —

to after lunch break, four days ago.

『I've already spoken with the person in charge.』

A short message from Mibu along those lines.

Permission had apparently come through surprisingly easily.

Thank goodness.

That's Mibu Iroha for you.

With a politician for a father and the real ability as an Awakener to match, of course she can get arrangements through this smoothly.

For this alone, I owe Mibu.

Chances to see the field are, for present-day me, basically nonexistent.

How an Enchanter actually operates.

How Awakeners who go on expeditions — like Mibu or Rio — actually fight.

If I get to see that, then however out of place I am, joining in is more than worth it.

Cinching the straps of the backpack on my shoulders a little, I walked toward the entrance.

And right away, familiar faces entered my view.

Mibu Iroha.

And Fujigaya Rio.

Both of them, already just... there.

Back at Intermediate drills the day before yesterday,

『Ren-kun, I hear you're finally joining an expedition?』

he'd said to me, so I knew he'd be here today.

Well, it is quite the away-game of a space.

Every familiar face helps.

Mibu was in black-based, easy-to-move clothes, with something like a thin protective vest over them.

Rio had similar gear.

Light protectors of the type you throw on over civilian clothes.

Hard-looking material at the chest and stomach, shoulders, forearms — but not rigid, clanky armor.

If anything, it was like a stab-proof vest, or motorcycle armor.

A small pouch at the hip.

A slim case at the side of the thigh.

A band on the wrist that looked like a comms device.

And the shoes weren't ordinary sneakers either, but something like trekking boots that guarded up to the ankle.

The other people around had on roughly the same gear.

I see.

So this is the national kit.

Not fantasy-adventurer style, clanking around in metal armor.

"Ah — Ren-kun."

Rio noticed me first.

With his usual soft smile, he raised a hand lightly.

"You made it."

"Good morning."

"Mm, morning."

Refreshingly bright.

Wastefully refreshing, this early.

Pre-Awakener me would never have trusted a high schooler greeting me with that face on a Sunday morning.

I mean, it's Sunday.

You're supposed to look at least a bit sleepier.

"So you managed to make it on time."

Mibu said it briefly.

"Whoa — what kind of impression do you have of me, Mibu?"

"Eh? A weirdo?"

"Haha — no argument there."

Before I could object, Rio beside her snorted.

Oi, you.

What's so funny.

Unable to actually say it, I muttered in a small voice, "Terrible classmate and terrible senpai."

Right about then —

"You would be Himuro Ren-kun."

A composed voice from behind.

I turned, and a man was walking toward us.

Mid-fifties, perhaps.

Back straight, a build that gave away nothing about his age.

His short, neatly trimmed hair had a little gray mixed in.

The atmosphere about him was mild, and yet the field's air seemed to naturally organize itself around this man.

"I'm Takamiya Seiji. For today's expedition, I'll be handling on-site decisions."

"Ah — Himuro Ren. Thank you for having me."

I bowed my head in a hurry.

On-site decisions.

In other words, this man was presumably today's responsible party on the adult side.

Takamiya looked at me once, then moved his gaze to Mibu.

"So you really did bring him."

"Yes. I called him."

Mibu answered instantly.

At that reply, Takamiya pressed faintly at his temple.

Hm?

Is it just me, or is that reaction off?

The air is starting to reek of uninvited guest.

"I don't believe I gave permission."

Takamiya said it, mild as ever.

Huh — Mibu-san, seriously?

You mean it never formally went through?

I'd just assumed everything was already arranged.

Last time she messaged, she said she'd talked to the person in charge.

I'm starting to see my route home from here, you know?

"I did consult beforehand."

"Consulting and permission are different things."

"True."

Mibu conceded at once.

She concedes.

"I did hear it out, yes. From Mibu-san — that there was a high schooler who wanted to observe."

"Yes."

"That said — let me confirm one thing first."

Takamiya turned back to me.

"This is not a place that can be summed up with the word 'observation.' However stable the internal difficulty, a dungeon is a dungeon. Taking in a high schooler with no field experience carries a matching risk for our side as well."

It was a sound argument.

So sound I had zero comeback.

Zero.

Well, even a comeback wouldn't have changed anything.

Honestly, nothing he said was wrong.

I'd hit Level 10.

My Job was unlocked.

I've got Skills, several of them.

But dungeon expeditions — that experience, I don't have.

If anything, my entire relevant experience is solo-rushing the first dungeon and stalking Greyfish for half a day.

My mental fortitude isn't so invincible that I can puff my chest and say "leave it to me" off that.

"I'm well aware."

Before I could answer, Mibu had spoken.

"I have no intention of bringing him as combat strength, of course. Strictly observation and assistance. If anything seems dangerous, he pulls back immediately."

"Mibu-san."

"...I rate Himura-kun extremely highly."

At those words, Takamiya's eyes narrowed a fraction.

Rio, too, glanced at Mibu as if mildly surprised.

Me, I just plain froze.

Eh.

What was that just now?

Well — sure, she did say I'd caught her interest at first contact, so it isn't a total shock, but hearing it laid out again makes something itch.

"He's interesting. It isn't simply that he's strong."

Mibu continued.

"His fighting is a mess — but it's probably a mess with his own reasoning behind it. And he's the type that evolves in the middle of a fight."

"A mess," she says.

She probably got that from watching the Sakagami fight.

It does feel like a pretty rough thing to be told, but "evolves mid-fight" is exactly, perfectly put.

I mean, I'm literally out here unlocking achievements while fighting.

"And — he's an Enchanter."

Mibu said it, eyes on Takamiya.

"Support classes will be needed going forward. I thought it wouldn't hurt for him to know the field early."

"So you want him stacking up experience while it's early?"

"Yes."

Mibu nodded without hesitation.

Takamiya's expression stayed mild, but it looked a shade more serious than before.

"I'd like to add my request too."

There, Rio followed up.

Takamiya's gaze shifted to him this time.

"You as well, Fujigaya-kun?"

"Yes. I've actually fought him — he's interesting."

Still with the "interesting."

I'd have liked to hear, oh, a little "reliable" or "promising" mixed in.

"He has plenty of ability, too. At the very least, even mixed in with the expedition crew or the Advanced group, I don't think he'd meaningfully hold anyone back."

The expedition crew.

The Advanced group.

Mixed in with them, not dragging anyone down.

Personally, I have zero such conviction about myself.

In our match the other day, I was fighting for my life.

But Rio was offering that as his guarantee, out loud.

Takamiya stayed silent a while.

Preparation was getting underway around us.

He probably had no intention of dragging this back-and-forth out further either.

At last, Takamiya let out a small breath.

"...Understood. If Mibu-san and Fujigaya-kun say this much, I've no intention of objecting over your heads. There are conditions, however."

And he laid out said conditions.

"You are not formal combat strength. You are here for observation and assistance. No acting alone. You will follow every instruction. If anything is judged dangerous, immediate withdrawal. Can you keep to that?"

"Yes."

"Truly?"

"I'll keep them."

Takamiya paused a beat there, and finally nodded.

"...Then, this once — I'll permit you to come along."

At those words, my shoulders came down a little.

Seemed permission had actually gone through.

Thank god.

That was nearly a disband-on-the-spot situation.

"Also — let me explain compensation in advance."

"Compensation?"

"Formal expedition members receive a participation allowance, increments scaled to danger, survey-cooperation pay, and medical coverage for injuries. Amounts vary with the work, but the baseline is roughly thirty to eighty thousand yen per expedition."

"Whoa, seriously..."

More put-together than I expected.

I mean — they're sending people into life-threatening places, so they'd better be.

"However, Himura-kun, you are not formal combat strength. Today you're treated as observation and assistance. Separate from travel costs, you'll receive ten thousand yen as an observation-cooperation allowance. Provision of necessary equipment and insurance coverage apply."

"I get paid ten thousand yen just for observing?"

"Having you accompany us into a danger zone cannot very well be unpaid."

By high schooler sensibilities, "ten thousand yen for observing" alone is a legitimate shock.

I mean — ten thousand yen.

Huge.

Whether that's steep or cheap as the price for heading somewhere life-threatening on a Sunday morning, I couldn't tell you.

But for my wallet, at least, it was a very friendly number.

And then a soft voice slipped in from the side.

"You're an Enchanter, right?"

I turned, and a woman was standing there.

Mid-twenties, maybe.

Brown hair swishing softly just below her shoulders.

Loose perm, lightly tied back, with kind eyes.

Her gear was the same lightweight protectors as the other members, and yet on her it somehow looked softer.

Even over the protective vest, there was this... takes-care-of-everyone big-sister aura seeping through.

Armor really does change impression depending on who's wearing it, huh.

She alone carried a slightly softer air.

"I'm Gokō Nanami. I'm an Enchanter too."

"Ah — Himuro Ren. Nice to meet you."

"Mm. Nice to meet you too, Himura-kun."

Nanami smiled brightly.

"Enchanters are rare, and at first it's hard to know what you're even supposed to do. Seeing the field — I think that's a really good idea, you know. It's fine. I'll teach you all sorts of things, okay?"

A good person.

A supremely good person.

How do I put it — if someone like this became your girlfriend, you'd, well... sink straight into the swamp as a man.

So went my gut instinct.

No — jumping to conclusions is bad.

Really bad.

But anyway, with that, my participation in the expedition was formally, safely settled.

Still — first dungeon in ages.

Ooooh...!

My heart is daaancing!