ch161-ch180 · 178-ch178
Chapter 178: Mom's Normal Movement Is Teleportation for Two Actions
"You absolutely must not laugh, okay?"
Isn't that a flag, though?
So—right as we were about to head out on the expedition—it was decided I'd get a look at Aikawa's special skill.
"...Here goes?"
"【Partial Beast Transformation】!"
Pon!—actually, no sound at all, but ears sprouted from the top of her head.
Animal ears!
The ears that were supposed to be there are gone.
And are those... bear ears?
"...Pfft."
"Hey! I SAID don't laugh! Jeez. Release."
Ahh.
Now the animal ears retract and her normal human ears come back.
I wanted to look a little longer...
"Sorry, sorry. One more time—one more time, show me. I won't laugh this time."
"You promise? Fine, fine. 【Partial Beast Transformation】!"
Oh?
This time it's just the nose.
My, my.
Is that a bear nose?
A big black one has appeared right in the middle of her face.
Why is this funnier than the last one?
"Huh. I see. Can you do other places too?"
I ask while desperately fighting down the laughter.
"Ears and nose for now—and my eyes too. Sniff sniff. Haru-kun, you smell kind of burnt, you know?"
Whoops—the nose gets better too, huh.
"Does it?"
I give a few sniffs myself, but I don't sense much.
I hold my shirt up to my nose and there's the faintest hint of something, maybe.
So it's improved a LOT.
Even with levels, human noses have their limits, after all.
I've never measured it properly, but my hearing got about ten times better, so her nose is probably in that range too.
A bear's sense of smell is something like two thousand times a human's, right?
If hers improved that much, that's an incredible ability.
But unlike 【Beast Transformation】, which turns the whole body into an animal, 【Partial Beast Transformation】 really does seem to change only a part.
"Release. I wish I'd gotten a cat or some other cute animal, though. Why a BEAR?"
Aikawa's nose returns to normal.
You LOVED bears until recently, though.
Well, that's a bit of a sad story, isn't it.
"I think it's cute, though?"
"Soushi..."
Careful there, Soushi my boy.
That kind of thing is fatal in the dungeon, you know?
No, wait—it's useless in the dungeon, isn't it.
At best, flirt around on the 30s floors and bring me money and diamonds.
Still—a bear-eared girl for the Bear Ossan's daughter, huh...
"Do special skills get inherited?"
"We don't know if it's inheritance, but I hear that parents and kids tend toward special skills of the same lineage. Same with Jobs—and apparently aptitude has something to do with personality too, so rather than genetics, growing up in a similar environment makes similar skills likelier."
Aikawa tells us this looking a little put out.
She doesn't like having a skill similar to her father's, apparently.
Full-on rebellious phase, huh.
Still, though—what kind of living environment turns you into a bear?
Did Aikawa and her dad spend their days hibernating together?
"Mia-san said her dad has the same skill, too."
Hoh.
So both Mia-san and Aikawa have special skills inherited from their fathers...
Which means, in my case, it'd be my mother's side?
If Aikawa's skill is 【Partial Beast Transformation】 and Bear Ossan's is 【Beast Transformation】, could my mother's skill be even more impressive than my 【Gate】?
...Like 【Teleport】 or 【Instant Transfer】?
The kind where you just go wherever you want directly, without bothering with a 'Gate'?
Should I test her in the dungeon?
No—my identity is at stake here...
The pattern where she's too excellent and I get expelled?
'Mom's Normal Movement Is Teleportation for Two Actions! Banishing the Useless Son for a Fun Dungeon Life with My Bride'
Yeah, that's about the title it'd get.
Right. Mother is officially barred from the dungeon.
"So, Haru-kun, what about YOUR special skill?"
"Hm? I'll explain mine on Floor 10, so getting ready... ah, you're ready. My apologies. One moment, please. Ah—where are my change of clothes? Is it okay if I go up?"
The two of them are already armored and fully prepared.
I just got here and I'm still in my street clothes—I'd like to change into something that can take a beating, but where is it?
"It's fine. Go on up."
It's MY warehouse, you know.
The second floor had changed less than I expected.
Aikawa's school uniform hanging up, and a few racks for clothes...
"You didn't bring much. And here I thought you'd bring the fridge or something..."
"How, exactly?"
Fair point.
No, knowing Mia-san's momentum...
"Just my clothes and what was in my room. That's it. As long as I can get to school, it's fine. I'll earn the money and buy the rest from here on! You two had better work hard, okay?"
I want to say "leave the money to me," but that's Soushi's job, isn't it.
Well, I'll quietly slip Soushi some money later...
Let him have his cool moment.
Ah—I need to change, so I'll step outsi— no, I'll go down.
Maybe I should keep my change of clothes down in the warehouse part from now on?
"All right, let's move. 【Gate】."
Changed, everyone armed, so I summon the 'Right Gate.'
Eh? Armor? We don't need armor, right? It's Floor 10?
Ah—wait, Floor 9.
Last time I met up with the bear parent and child, so the 'Left Gate' was left parked on Floor 9.
Well, it's right there, so fine—but the problem is I can't explain anything until we're on Floor 10.
"Eeeh? What's this?"
"Sorry. Wait a moment. I'll explain on Floor 10—Soushi, keep Aikawa quiet. 【Scouting】."
I use 【Scouting】 to check Floor 9.
...Nobody around.
I slip through quickly and stow the 'Gate.'
【Presence Detection】 shows no monster reactions either, so I run straight into the 'Gate to Floor 10.'
(【Gate】)
This time I summon the 'Left Hand Gate.'
Poke just my face through and call the two of them.
"All clear—come on through—"
I pull my face back and call them over.
"Eh? Eh? What is this? A 'Gate'? Where are we? Soushi?"
Shoved along by Soushi, Aikawa comes through.
"Oh? Floor 10, is it. Then it's safe to talk. THIS is Haruki's special skill."
"Eeeh? No way. Impossible..."
Fufufu. Shocked, aren't we.
"Sur—"
"Sur?"
"Sooo, first up, let's take down a Minotaur."
Close one.
Surprises are BANNED, remember.
If I don't say it, it's not a surprise—the theory holds.