ch221-ch240 · 226-ch226

Chapter 226: The First Request

"So what did you come here for, anyway?"

"Main reason was seeing whether the rumors were true, ya know? And I've got business with Kasumi-san. She here today?"

The shocking truth that Anego is not a gorilla but a human being was revealed just now.

The conversation has finally settled down, and it seems this Anego-san came here with business for Kasumi-san.

Still—to think I'm the subject of rumors...

Why, though?

"Kasumi-san should be on the surface side, but you came without contacting her?"

"If I called ahead, you'd just hide Haruki, wouldn't you? You were literally trying to just now. I heard you—'hide,' you said! You've got something shady going on, that's why you hid him! I'm not about to drag anyone to the police, so come clean."

Between Mia-san and me, I'm the one likelier to get arrested, I think.

"I'm TELLING you it's not like that! If you've got business with Kasumi-san, go take care of it. Ah—say, is Hiramatsu around today?"

Mia-san, looking like she's just thought of something, turns to Shiraishi-san.

"Hiramatsu-san doesn't come in until the afternoon—nope!"

Darn.

Hiramatsu-san works afternoons and takes the night shift at the dungeon counter, so he's never here in the morning.

It seems Mia-san hoped to repel Anego-san with him, but it was not to be.

"Tch. Oi—don't go saying anything weird to Kasumi-san."

"Kasumi-san doesn't know? Well, it WOULD be a disaster if the serious Kasumi-san learned you were running around being loose, wouldn't it. Got it. I'll go take care of my business first. Be right back, so wait up."

"Ah! ...Someone's coming."

It's Kasumi-san—Kasumi-san's navy presence and one more, a purple presence, approaching.

I knew it was Kasumi-san, but with Anego-san here I break the news to her vaguely.

"Eh? Eh? Is that Kasumi-san? What do I do, what do I do. Anego, PLEASE don't say anything weird."

Perhaps because of the Shiraishi-san situation, Mia-san is visibly desperate.

"No—so it goes that far, huh? I knew it—you and this Haruki..."

"Mia-san, sorry to intrude. It's a good thing none of you have set out yet."

"So this is the loli blacksmith's place, ssu—excuse the intruuusion, ssu—"

Anego-san, misunderstanding things on a grand scale, is cut off by the arrival of Kasumi-san and the newbie.

So the purple was the newbie, was it.

Purple is the second most common presence color after light blue, I think.

Soushi, the newbie, Anego-san, one of the part-timers from the other day, and 'the scout' from headquarters too—all purple, though everyone's shade is subtly different.

"Anego-san!? What on earth are you doing here?"

The Kasumi-san who enters notices Anego-san at once.

"Came 'cause I've got business with you, Kasumi-san. Wanted a word."

"A word...? I can roughly imagine what about... How are things over there?"

Kasumi-san's face has fallen dark again.

"Over there" would be headquarters...

"Bloodthirsty, that's what. The Doubles especially. My lot won't listen either, no matter how often I tell 'em not to chase Triple. So I've come to consult you."

"Her lot" would be Mia-san's crowd—the women adventurers who work as freelancers, apparently.

Anego-san, I was told a moment ago, holds something like a boss position among the freelance adventurers at headquarters.

The reason they're all bloodthirsty is surely that only Triple-Ranks can join the New Dungeon survey.

If you can reach Triple-Rank by the end of October...

There's still plenty of time—plenty of adventurers seem to be thinking exactly that.

"I want them to stop doing anything dangerous. Won't you please use your influence, Anego-san, to hold everyone back?"

And so Kasumi-san wants to stop them...

Floor 30 is the area with the most unreturned—in other words, the most dead.

I was nearly one of them.

"See, that's the thing—I understand how they feel. I'm joining the survey request myself. But I can't go alone, so I'll raise a few of them to Triple and bring them along. Kasumi-san, won't you help me get them to Triple?"

"Don't be absurd... A place like the New Dungeon with no information—that's walking straight into death!"

"Why? You got Mia to Triple, didn't you? They're all comrades, aren't they?"

"My Triple-Rank promotion requests will be limited to production and general-class people. And that's planned for next year onward. I'm not ready yet."

"With you there, the two of us can promote three people in a single run. I'll handle the Ogre King, and all you have to do is guard everyone in the meantime. I'll pick out the ones who can actually fight—come on, please. Just once is enough. Then we can use those ones to promote the others, see."

Anego-san pleads and pleads, but Kasumi-san shakes her head and refuses.

"I have only recently—only very recently—begun to understand how all of you feel. Perhaps because gaining a high-rank job finally gave me a real sense of my own strength. The more you do, the more your level rises, the stronger you get. Things you couldn't do before become possible. It's a wonderful thing. I have learned that the dungeon is a joyful place. And yet—still—is it something to stake your life on? If you think of the people dear to you, then there must be a limit. To die is, at the same time, to betray the feelings of the people dear to you. That is why I will say it as many times as it takes. I cannot help anyone dive into a place of death."

"Stubborn as ever, aren'tcha! I'm doing it with or without your help!"

"Um—Watanabe-san, may I have a moment? I'd really like to get my business moving first, ssu."

The newbie wedges herself between the two of them.

Come to think of it, what was the newbie's business today?

"Mm—so it was. Anego-san, let's continue this later. I'll be right back, so please wait...... Today I actually came with a request—or rather, a proposal—for Haruki-san and the others. Haruki-san, let's change locations. The surface side, please. Is Natsukawa-san in the kitchen?"

"Us?"

"Yes. Aikawa-san, Natsukawa-san, and Haruki-san—the three of you. Mia-san, please keep Anego-san company. Shiraishi-san, please mind the kitchen. I'll be right back."

"Let's see, she's only watching how the baking's coming along—maybe even I can manage? Time for my new skill to breathe fire!"

That's the one that burns everything to a crisp, isn't it.

︙

︙

"Camp tour?"

The moment we moved to the meeting room on the surface side, Kasumi-san made a proposal nobody saw coming.

The three of us blurted it out in unison.

"Yes. On combat I have nothing to say about any of you—but you're all a little lacking in what you might call adventurer's common sense. In a word: camping skills. To make up for that, I'd like you to practice camping once. The destination is Floor 20. I'd like you to spend one night at Floor 14, and while you're at it, to help Fuyutsuki-san with her Double-Rank promotion."

For the record, the newbie is outside the meeting room right now.

"The newbie? Well, it's true our common sense has been warped thanks to Haru-kun, so fine... When do we start?"

Don't pin that on me.

Also—Aikawa calls her "the newbie" to her face, huh...

"Tomorrow."

"So soon!?"

But the newbie's transfer to Aomori is already decided, so apparently there's no time to take it slowly.