arc2 · 096-ch96

Chapter 96: My Childhood Friend Came as a Guest Lecturer, Part 2

What the hell is she doing out of nowhere!? I told her so many times not to say my name, so why did she scream it at the top of her lungs right from the start, and now she's waving at me with a big smile on her face!? Thanks to that, everyone's staring at me!

The venue buzzed. Students alternated their gazes between Himehana waving on stage and me sitting there dumbfounded. It was like they were waiting to see how I'd react.

Well, there was nothing I could do at this point. I waved back with a smile so strained I could feel it myself.

The moment I did, a wave of shrill screams erupted. Well, mixed in with some pretty deep ones too. And now all the attention was on me. What am I supposed to do about this atmosphere...

Just then, a savior appeared.

"Um, what is your relationship with Himehana-san over there?"

The professor who'd introduced Himehana earlier asked about our relationship.

"Oh, um, well, he's a childhood friend. We used to play together a lot when we were little and were really close, but we hadn't seen each other in a while..."

Himehana seemed to realize what she'd done from my strained expression and the atmosphere in the venue, and started stammering through a cover-up.

Thanks to that, I could hear murmurs from around the room—"Well, even Himehana-san must have friends, right?" and "A childhood friend with Himehana-san? That's so lucky, man," and "If they haven't seen each other in ages, it makes sense she'd call out to him."

With Himehana's smooth recovery, I'd apparently settled into the position of "childhood friend she hadn't seen in a long time from when they were little." Thank goodness. Well, not really—things were far from good—but considering the situation, getting off with just a little envy was probably the best I could hope for.

It had been a rough, heart-attack-inducing start, but now that our relationship was clear, Himehana's lecture began.

"First, when I awakened to my Job..."

Himehana started talking about her journey since awakening. Back then, she was still attending this university, so the professors and students who remembered those days nodded along.

Then the story moved to when she quit university and formed a party. Right after becoming an explorer, she was invited by Toomi-san and joined Hyakka Ryouran. The members were all unique, but they all became fast friends right away, and now she could call them comrades she trusted with her life—she spoke her words of gratitude.

During that part, I glanced over at Ohsaki's lackey out of curiosity. He was listening with an incredibly serious expression, nodding up and down repeatedly. I hoped he'd head in a good direction, and turned my attention back to Himehana's talk.

From here, Himehana started sharing the knowledge she'd gained in dungeons. Maybe because this was what the students were most interested in, all five hundred of them were listening with rapt attention, not a single person making a sound. Oh, wait—there was one guy nearby who was yawning and sighing.

Then Himehana started talking about her first time entering the Mount Fuji Dungeon.

"That's when I first asked SS-san to film for me!"

Huh? She'd been talking pretty matter-of-fact until just now, but suddenly her energy shot up. And instead of focusing on her own story, she suddenly launched into gestures and movements describing how my drone operated.

(Is she an idiot? Talking about that stuff here isn't going to interest anyone.)

That's what I thought, so I looked at the female student next to me, but...

Her eyes were sparkling as she listened intently. I thought maybe these specific people were special, so I checked other students, but it looked like even more people were leaning forward to listen than before.

What's more, even Ohsaki, who'd looked bored earlier, was listening with a serious face. Hm? He's striking some weird pose while listening. Is he, like, thinking about how to look cool on camera? ...Let's just pretend I didn't see that.

After thoroughly praising my drones and the videos I'd filmed, Himehana finally started talking about what explorers need to know, what to watch out for, and things she'd learned through real experience.

Personally, I thought the lecture should've just been this part from start to finish, but the fact that Himehana was working so hard to praise me made me really happy. Of course, I couldn't let that show on my face, so I decided to thank her later.

From here on, the content really made you think "she's the real deal—an active explorer." Monster characteristics, combat tactics, and surprisingly, how to run away from monsters—the range was wide. And when the topic turned to the Tokyo Skyscraper Dungeon, everyone was listening with bated breath.

Every student here must have watched that stream. They were reminiscing about the footage from back then, listening as if they'd been right there. I could even hear the sound of people swallowing hard, hands clenched tight with excitement.

"That's when the wind picked up. Maybe that was a sign a Rare Monster was about to spawn. Everyone, if you feel wind blowing in a cave-type dungeon, be careful!"

Come to think of it, that's what tipped off the Flame Wolf and Aqua Wolf, wasn't it? She might not be entirely wrong. Oh, the professors are whispering among themselves. They're probably planning to use this as teaching material.

"I really thought I was going to die back then."

Ah, this is about when the Mithril Golem attacked. I was desperate back then too. I still break into a cold sweat just remembering it.

"Fufu, but you know? I survived. There was someone who saved me!"

Pow!

The shift from her solemn expression to a radiant, bursting smile instantly captivated every male student in the venue. The guys who'd been hit were squirming in their seats.

Hey, Himehana! Don't look this way at a moment like that! People are going to get suspicious!

While the venue was still buzzing, Himehana's talk wrapped up. But instead of bowing and retreating to the wings, Himehana—of all things—started walking toward me. Yeah, she'd said we'd grab a meal together afterward, but come on—at least go back to the green room first!

But my silent pleas were in vain as Himehana strode purposefully in my direction. The students around us could only watch in awe at her utterly confident demeanor.

And just when she was almost right next to me, that man finally made his move.

"Oho, Himehana! You pass! I, the great Satoru, shall grace your party with my presence!"

With those words, the entire venue fell dead silent.