chapter4 · 090-ep90

Episode 90: Back at School After a While

The first school day since Kujō-san came to our house.

I was back at school for the first time in a week.

Man, it's been a while.

I'd been killing monsters every day in the dungeon, so sitting at a desk in my uniform felt strangely fresh.

...For the first hour, anyway.

Ten minutes into math class, I was already getting sleepy.

Not that I could've just slept when I was sleepy while running around a dungeon.

Obviously, there were no monsters at school.

I sat through class thinking that, and during break the homeroom teacher handed me a week's worth of worksheets.

"...Isn't this a lot?"

"It's a week's worth."

"Yeah, I figured..."

Of course.

Class kept going while I was out.

I'd known that, but seeing it stacked on my desk was rough.

On top of that, I was told I'd have to take a quiz later.

I killed a thousand monsters in a dungeon and got an Achievement. I come back to school and this is what's waiting for me.

Not that the point isn't that I should study properly.

Somehow I made it through the morning, and finally it was lunch.

I took my lunch and headed to the usual rooftop.

When I opened the door, the two familiar faces were already there.

"Ah, Ren-kun!"

Sōsuke was the first to notice.

Beside him, Mibu was spreading out her lunch.

"Hey. Been a while."

"It really has been! Seriously, where did you go!?"

"Ah, just some training."

"For a whole week!?"

"Yeah."

Sōsuke's shoulders slumped in disbelief.

"You just stopped coming to school, and you didn't reply when I messaged. I was legitimately worried..."

"Ahh... sorry."

I'd barely checked my phone at all while I was holed up in the dungeon.

And when I got back, my head was full of contacting the school.

"Himura-kun."

"Hm?"

This time Mibu looked at me.

"I messaged you as well."

"...Huh?"

"There was no reply."

"........"

Ah.

Both of them had messaged me?

Not that it wasn't my fault for not checking all my notifications after getting back.

"...I'm sorry."

"I don't need an apology. I just wanted a word back if you were safe."

"I'll be careful next time."

"Please do."

With that, Mibu reached for her lunch with her chopsticks.

What is it?

She didn't seem angry, but I felt genuinely bad.

"So where were you, anyway?"

Sōsuke asked.

"A dungeon."

"Huh?"

"I was in a dungeon the whole week."

"........"

Sōsuke froze.

Mibu stopped her chopsticks too.

"...A whole week?"

"Yeah."

"Did you come back partway?"

"No."

"........"

Mibu let out an exasperated sigh.

"I'll deliberately not ask how you got into a dungeon."

"Ah, yeah."

"...Same as ever."

With just that, Mibu started eating again.

Eh?

That's it?

Well, I mean.

I was grateful, honestly.

"W-wait a second! A whole week in a dungeon is obviously dangerous, isn't it!?"

Sōsuke started making a fuss instead.

"Well, more or less."

"'More or less'...! Jeez, you really never change, Ren-kun!"

"What? I came back fine, didn't I?"

"That's not the point!"

Sōsuke still looked like he had more to say.

But Mibu apparently didn't care anymore and was eating her lunch as usual.

...Honestly, kind of impressive.

I'm one thing, but Mibu's gotten pretty used to handling me.

"For now, why don't you sit?"

"Ah, right."

I sat down across from the two of them and opened my lunch.

Ah, this feels like it's been forever.

Sōsuke makes a fuss, Mibu deadpans a comeback, and I talk back.

In the dungeon I'd been talking to myself the whole time, so eating with someone was a nice change.

"By the way, did anything change while I was gone?"

"Hmm, not especially."

Sōsuke thought before answering.

"Oh, last week's quiz was pretty hard."

"...Seriously?"

"Yeah. You'll probably have to take it too, right?"

"........"

I didn't want to know.

That's what the teacher mentioned this morning.

"Which part was hard?"

"Um, the part we covered in class, but..."

"I didn't take that class."

"That's why I was going to lend you my notes."

"Sōsuke...!"

What a good guy.

A friend is what you should have.

"That's a huge help. Thanks."

"No problem. But just copying them won't make you remember, okay?"

"...Yes."

Even Sōsuke was worried about my studying now.

Still, if I could borrow his notes, the worst-case scenario was avoidable.

Not that I wasn't going to solve the test myself.

"Himura-kun, make sure you check the deadlines for your assignments too."

"Mibu too..."

"You were out for a whole week, weren't you?"

"Yes. Exactly as you say."

Apparently I had no allies here.

No — they were saying this because they were allies.

Kind of complicated.

After that, we ate while talking about class and videos we'd watched recently.

Sōsuke showed us a video he'd found funny on his phone, and Mibu gave a serious opinion on it.

Ah, this. This.

This feeling.

Even after I'd been gone a week, the two of them hadn't changed.

"That reminds me — about Black Gate."

Mibu spoke as if she'd just remembered.

"...Black Gate?"

Haven't heard that name in a while.

That organization Kanzaki belonged to.

"Before, their name came up often whenever there was an Awakener-related incident, right?"

"Ah, it did."

"But since that incident, there's apparently been no word at all."

"...Really?"

"Yes. At least, within what I've heard."

Huh...

So they'd gone that quiet since Kanzaki and the others were arrested.

"So they gave up?"

When Sōsuke asked, Mibu shook her head.

"I don't know. I haven't heard that the organization itself is gone either."

"I see..."

Sōsuke looked down at his lunch, a little uneasy.

Well, they were an organization whose name had come up in all kinds of incidents.

Hearing nothing at all suddenly was kind of strange.

...No, maybe they were just lying low for a while since Takatsuki and Kanzaki got arrested.

We couldn't know from our side.

"But nothing's happening right now, right?"

"Yes. For the time being."

"Then that's the best outcome."

I didn't want someone like Kanzaki showing up again.

Even if I'd gotten stronger, he wasn't someone I'd go out of my way to fight.

"Yeah. I don't want another incident like that."

Sōsuke nodded.

Well, Sōsuke's acquaintance had gotten caught up in it back then, so it made sense he'd feel that way.

I'd had enough of that kind of thing too.

While we were talking, lunch break was drawing to a close.

"Well, we should head back."

Sōsuke started packing up his lunchbox.

I tossed the last bit of food into my mouth and stood with my bag.

All in all, school wasn't so bad.

...If only there weren't afternoon classes too.

Right as I thought that and started to leave the rooftop, my phone buzzed in my pocket.

"Hm?"

An email notification.

I opened the screen, and the sender name showed Fujigaya Rio.

"...Rio-senpai?"

We'd exchanged contact info, at least, but this was the first time he'd actually messaged me.

I opened the email.

『Ren-kun, do you have a little time tomorrow?』

"........"

Huh, what?

Kind of scary.