ch201-ch220 · 207-ch207

Chapter 207: Protecting Each Other as Equals

"That rock over there is a Sand Golem. It's off our route to the summit, but..."

I spotted a Sand Golem a little ways off with 【Scouting】.

It's in a spot where it won't come at us even if we ignore it and climb on.

"I'll take it. Watch me."

Hmm.

I suppose she wants to gauge how much stronger a Floor 32 Sand Golem is than a Floor 31 one...

Kasumi-san gets right up next to the Sand Golem and waits for it to stand.

She doesn't look like she's planning any cheap-shot takedowns.

The Sand Golem rises—gogogo—rumbling and shaking the ground.

Kasumi-san, for her part, stands unmoving, spear ready.

She's even ceding the first strike.

Is she going to be okay?

The Sand Golem's arm, wound up wide, comes swinging down.

Kasumi-san deflects it with her spear—no, perhaps I should say she sidesteps it entirely.

【Deflection】 is a skill that deflects attacks touching the spear and breaks the attacker's stance—but the Sand Golem's stance isn't broken, so it seems she didn't use the skill.

The Sand Golem winds up its other arm this time, but Kasumi-san's answering spear shatters its knee, and it pitches forward.

All that's left is opening up its back and taking out the magic stone.

A flawless win.

"From the look of it, its strength hasn't changed from the Floor 31 Sand Golems."

I call out to Kasumi-san as she tucks the magic stone into her pouch.

From the outside, all I could really judge was its speed, but its strength and defense probably haven't changed much either.

"That's right. Sand Golems truly are no problem... At this rate I could handle ten of them, even twenty. The problem is... Haruki-san. Could we call off today's Flirting Strategy?"

Whuh?

"Why?"

And I was looking forward to it so much...

"I'll be honest. I underestimated this 'Flirting Strategy.' I thought nothing so serious would come of it... that it would be coincidence... At worst, I figured one metal golem might show up. But in reality, a gang of Copper Golems appeared and came attacking... Metal golems are far too heavy. If I meet that thing head-on while it's moving, my spear shatters. One or two, I could manage any number of ways. But if ten of them showed up, I couldn't cope. I don't have the confidence I could protect you, Haruki-san..."

Is it wrong of me to say I'll protect Kasumi-san here?

And there, I realized what had been nagging at me.

I knew it already, but—Kasumi-san has been fighting all this time to protect me.

When we "take turns" and I'm fighting, she's surely been watching from behind the whole time, worrying whether I'll get hurt.

Even when we fight "together," she takes down the enemies right in front of me.

Maybe we've never truly fought together, in the real sense.

That's probably why she was so hung up on levels.

If the one she's supposed to protect grows stronger than her, their positions could flip.

"Kasumi-san. Soushi and Aikawa fight in coordination... Those two almost never have one of them just standing by watching."

"Coordination? Natsukawa-san and Aikawa-san..."

One draws the enemy in, the other attacks.

They don't each take one enemy and then go hands-off.

When they fought Orc Knights on Floor 20, their early struggle was probably because of that.

If I'd left it to the two of them from the start, Soushi might have naturally taken point and guarded the dancing Aikawa all on his own.

Once I fought properly alongside the two of them, they stopped struggling.

I think that's what a party is.

Not each fighting alone—one party, fighting as one.

Couldn't Kasumi-san and I do it that way too?

"Let me protect you too, Kasumi-san!"

Not Kasumi-san protecting me, and not me protecting Kasumi-san either.

Each of us protecting the other.

That's what being party members means, I think.

"That I can't allow. I am the one who protects you, Haruki-san. That's what I promised, back then."

"Exactly. Please do protect me. But I'll protect you too, Kasumi-san. Each of us protecting the other. I want us to have that kind of equal relationship."

"An equal relationship, protecting each other... You would... protect me?"

"Yes. Please let me."

"Haruki-san..."

The mood is just right...

No golems nearby...

Even the one we just killed should take time to respawn.

"Kasumi-san..."

"Ah! Don't come any closer!"

"Huh?"

I beg your pardon?

She held me back with a hand as I tried to step closer.

"Any closer and this becomes flirting, so no. If you come near me now, I won't be able to stop myself either... Your words—I understand them. They make me very happy. But that and the Flirting Strategy are two different matters. There is no need to do dangerous things on purpose. We will coordinate. But we will not flirt."

She cuts me down, crisp and clean.

Nooo waaay—

"Ah!"

We're on a spot with a pretty good view, so the upper slope is easy to make out.

A whole lot of golems are coming down, aren't there.

We haven't even started flirting yet, you know?