ch141-ch160 · 150-ch150

Chapter 150: Off to School

I made the wrong call yesterday.

Mia-san's frying pan melted clean through and the gas burner exploded—and in that instant, I shielded Kasumi-san.

Kasumi-san and I are both high-rank job holders past Level 30.

A little gas canister going off isn't going to do much to us...

But Mia-san is a production job.

And the explosion went off right in front of her.

(The one I needed to protect was Mia-san...)

A beat later, Kasumi-san—who had been worried about Mia-san—shoved me away.

As it turned out, Mia-san was completely fine...

She did go sprawling, squeaking 'pyee' in that adorable little voice of hers, but not a single wound.

【Fire Resistance】 had kept even her clothes from burning, let alone her hair.

Skills are amazing.

She'd been fuming at ME over suspected Surprises, but there is no explanation for the melted pan other than Mia-san's own skill.

(I've heard of the type who blows up pots when they cook, but triggering a full-on explosion with a frying pan...)

And despite heat that should have melted the pan, the meat hadn't cooked at all.

There was a huge explosion—but in a sense, we should be grateful we didn't have to eat Mia-san's cooking.

Akane-san—the black-gyaru receptionist—came sprinting over at the sound of the blast, took one look at us...

'You people. Again?'

Thank goodness she let it go with just that.

Though she did add, 'Next time I'm getting angry, okay?'

(So even the black gyaru's patience runs out at three, huh.)

The real problem is the distance between me and Kasumi-san.

Since the explosion, she's been keeping this subtle little gap.

Even before the explosion, things over Soushi's weapon had nearly turned into a real fight.

And that day just sort of ended with everyone going home.

In the end we never got to eat the meat Soushi grilled either; Kasumi-san said she had things to discuss with Mia-san, and the two of them left together.

"Haaah..."

Should I have gone to help Mia-san instead, back then?

No—I was on the far side of the stove; I wouldn't have made it in time...

So what did I do wrong...?

Ah—I should have shielded Mia-san with the 'Left Eye Gate.'

That was a failure.

And I'm only just now realizing it...

My judgment is slow.

Fatal, for a shield job.

(Still, she really didn't need to shove me, you know...)

Apparently Mia-san stayed over at Kasumi-san's place last night, because there was no nighttime call. And no morning call either.

Both times, all I got was a message on our chat app.

Kasumi-san's texts are so polite I can't read any feeling in them...

But no phone call means she's angry, I suppose.

I have to fix this somehow.

"Haaah..."

"Kasugano-kun, you're sighing again."

Souma-san, in the seat next to mine, spoke up.

A library committee member with glasses and braided hair—the stereotypical bookish girl.

"Yesterday was Soushi's birthday, right?"

Aikawa called over from the seat behind Souma-san.

The seat behind me is Soushi's, which makes the seat next to Soushi Aikawa's.

"So you both took the day off together!?"

Souma-san shot to her feet with a clatter.

"You two went into the dungeon, didn't you? How was it?"

"My, my, Aikawa-san—'how was it?' That is FAR too direct! Two dear friends, all alone in the dungeon... gufufu."

Nothing happened, though?

Well. An explosion did happen...

Still, Aikawa speaking to me first is rare.

Well, it is morning, and the Goddess hasn't come in yet.

(Before her fake-sleeping hours begin, I suppose...)

Aikawa was in my class last year too, and she was close with the school's Goddess, Mizuki Saori. Or rather, they were in the same friend group—eating lunch together, hanging out.

Then something seems to have gone wrong between them right after this school year started, and ever since, she's faked sleep through every class and every break.

Aikawa's father is apparently an adventurer—I suspect that's the cause.

Mizuki lost her sister to the dungeon.

Not talking about dungeons in front of Mizuki is an unspoken rule.

Talk about it freely and the girls will freeze you out—like Ota the dungeon otaku.

But with Aikawa it seems different.

The girls are actually being considerate of her.

In fact, early on, Mizuki herself came over to try talking to Aikawa despite the fake sleeping.

Yet here we are, July nearly over, and Aikawa is still at it.

When she's "awake," she'll pipe up as if she'd been listening to me and Soushi the whole time—so there's no doubt she's been faking.

"Soushi's is 【Gender Change】, so be nice to him when he shows up."

"Ehh? So you both had the same skill? Don't tell me you took turns with it... gufufu. Though this one's a little hard to interpret..."

There are people eavesdropping on our conversations over here too, you know...

A while back, the talk turned to special-skill jackpots and duds, and Soushi blurted out that MY skill was 【Gender Change】.

As for Souma-san—different class, but she's looked out for me since first year, so I can't just brush her off.

Their fantasies seem to be thriving—I'll leave them to it.

"Oh. Right. Well, not telling me is the normal thing to do, I suppose."

Is she not buying it?

"Heeey. Morning, Souma-san. Aikawa, you're still up too, huh."

Soushi arrived.

"That smile is dazzling. Something good happened, didn't it?"

"He's totally fine! Liar, President!"

And with that, Aikawa "fell asleep."

"Oh? What's with Aikawa?"

"She started faking sleep because you showed up."

"Gufufu..."