ch201-ch220 · 204-ch204

Chapter 204: A Girl You Can Trust

"Come to think of it, yesterday Aikawa-san told me all about you at school, Haruki-san."

Just as I stood up, thinking our break was about over and we should press on, Kasumi-san brought up that topic.

Right, that.

Actually, I have been a little curious about that.

"Aikawa looked awfully sleepy, but how late did you two stay up?"

Asking what exactly she told her could poke the hornet's nest, so I start somewhere safe...

"Shiraishi-san left before ten, and she told me stories after that... Even so, we were in bed before one, after the date changed."

Three hours!

No wonder Aikawa looked so worn out...

There shouldn't be THAT much to tell about me in the first place, though?

"Um, Kasumi-san, are you feeling all right? No sleep deprivation or anything like that?"

"No problems at all. I got to hear so much about you, Haruki-san, I'd say I'm in top form."

There shouldn't be that many stories about me, though?

Well, Aikawa and I were in the same class last year, after all.

...I believe in you, Aikawa-san?

"I see. Then, break's over! Let's make for the 'Gate to the Next Floor' at the summit!"

Alriiight, let's clear the air with a little combat!

"Good thinking. Golems don't react to sound, they say. Talking as we go is no problem at all. Let's set off."

That's right—golems have no eyes and no ears.

No nose or mouth, either.

And apparently 【Presence Concealment】 doesn't work on them.

How golems keep track of adventurers is a mystery, but since they target magic users first, the rumor is that they sense magic power.

So whether we walk along talking or walk along in silence, it makes no difference...

No difference at all...

"I'll search with 【Scouting】 too, but please keep an eye out for golems using 【Mimicry】, just in case."

"Yes. I won't let my attention slip, even while we talk."

"R-right, please do."

She's clearly got something she wants to say.

I need to find a golem, and fast...

Maybe she's feeling unsatisfied because I was the one who killed the Ogre King earlier.

She told me to handle it, so I did, but maybe I should have been the decoy...

And of course, NOW of all times, there are no golems nearby.

There ARE some, but they're all off our path, sitting in 【Mimicry】—golems that don't need to be hunted down.

For now, let's just climb the mountain.

"I reassessed Aikawa-san yesterday."

"You... reassessed her?"

She was leading the charge in ganging up on Mia-san at cards, you know?

Shouldn't that be "lost respect for her"?

"Yes. Reassessed—or rather, I had it wrong, I'd say. I'd assumed she was a looser-mouthed, modern girl... But I've changed my mind. She gets emotional where her father is concerned, but otherwise she's very level-headed and doesn't flinch from anything. That girl can be trusted."

Ohh, so her lips were tighter than expected?

What on earth did you try to ask her?

I see—the secret made it through safe and sound... no, wait, there's no secret. None at all.

In reality, there's plenty I have to keep secret—special skills, level, that sort of thing.

Learning Aikawa can keep her mouth shut relieved Kasumi-san too.

That's what this is about, right?

"Do you think you'll get along with Aikawa?"

"Mmm-mmm-mmm. Aren't you being a little overprotective of Aikawa-san? Whether we get along is up to you, Haruki-san. Aikawa-san praised you quite a lot yesterday, you know. Haru-kun is reliable, she says."

Whoa.

Aikawa probably praised me trying to get on Kasumi-san's good side, but it seems she overshot and it backfired.

Golems—where are the golems?

Huh?

"We've climbed quite a way, but there are no golems... Isn't that strange?"

"You changed the subject, didn't you. ....... It seems you haven't been avoiding them on purpose, though."

The two of us look back—the way we came, down the mountain—and the 'Gate to Floor 30' is visible.

It's clear we climbed straight up.

"There were plenty of them lower down, but we're around the middle now? None at all. There are reactions a little ways off, but... even going straight on from here, for a while we won't be in a position to clash, or rather, to fight."

I've been pulsing 【Scouting】 regularly, but the results are unimpressive.

"Mmm-mmm-mmm. Let's advance without letting our guard down."

"Yes."

We press on, alert.

The topic got derailed, though...

"...So then. What do YOU think of Aikawa-san, Haruki-san?"

It was NOT derailed!

A little further on, Kasumi-san brought the topic right back around.

But "what do I think," huh...

"A handful, I guess? Well, the one actually struggling with her is Soushi, so for me it's not so bad. My friend's girlfriend... A classmate, and nominally a friend, I suppose."

"Soushi-san's girlfriend, I see... Then, what if Soushi-san weren't around?"

What's the intent behind that question?

Is she planning to do away with Soushi?

"We probably wouldn't interact at school at all, I think. Without Soushi, we'd have been at a distance I couldn't even call friends. She's honestly a high-maintenance one at school."

"Mmm-mmm-mmm. No interaction, hmm... Aikawa-san's standing at school doesn't seem all that great. That's a worry. ....... By the way, what do you think of ME?"

"My precious girlfriend. The one I love most."

My chance! The Love-Love Strategy!

Change the topic, now!

"Haruki-san..."

"Ah!"

"Yes?"

"There's a golem..."

They were quiet until a moment ago, and now they suddenly come down...

They won't show up when I want them to, and then suddenly, THIS!