ch241-ch260 · 241-ch241

Chapter 241: Shouting?

"Then, let's get right to it."

Sorry to Soushi, who'd been gearing up for his turn, but today is Saturday—so the focus is on leveling Kasumi-san.

Our destination: the Floor 36 summit.

A spot with the 'Gate to Floor 37' just nearby.

My current level is 36.

By my agreement with Kasumi-san, I'm not allowed to advance any further until I reach the appropriate level—in other words, the same number as the next floor.

So today we hunt golems right here until the two of us hit 37.

Kasumi-san urged me on, so I'll begin.

"Kasumi-saaan, I love yooooou!"

There we go.

I'm doing this because it's necessary for leveling, you know?

I'm shouting at the top of my lungs toward the cliff side of the summit.

Announcing to this entire floor that we're being lovey-dovey.

For some reason, that makes the golems come toward the summit.

Why is that, I wonder?

Golems aren't supposed to react to sound, though.

"I love Haruki-san tooooooo!"

Whoa, whoa.

Kasumi-san, lined up beside me, shouts even louder than I do.

Kasumi-san's voice really is loud, huh.

Maybe the Strength stat has something to do with it?

At Level 36, hers is 169 and mine is 144—she's got a whole 25 on me.

And yet Kasumi-san's face is bright red.

For Kasumi-san, who so rarely tells me she loves me, to shout it out loud like this......

Well then, allow me to return the favor.

"Kasumi-saaan! I've loved you since the day we first meeeeet!"

Kasumi-san, who had covered her face with both hands and sunk down to her knees out of sheer embarrassment, springs back up at my words.

"I've loved you since I was boooooorn!"

I wasn't even born yet back then, though......

Kasumi-san has a sore-loser streak, so she always tries to one-up me.

Eventually she starts pulling elementary-schooler moves like "since the universe began," so let's change direction.

"I love your vooooice, Kasumi-san!"

"Fwoeh!? Mm, mm...... Is... is that so?"

Kasumi-san made her voice small and asked quietly back.

Huh? Did that backfire? I need her shouting loud to call in lots of golems......

"Yes. So let me hear plenty more of it."

"Eh, uh, um—we have to call the golems. Haruki-san, please continue."

Kasumi-san actually likes this strategy.

She forces it during our nighttime phone calls too.

When I told her that shouting too loud would reach my mother's ears, she finally backed off, but the moment we're in the dungeon, the demands are endless.

The golems had better hurry up......

"Ah, the first wave is coming. Come on, up you get."

I reach out a hand to Kasumi-san, on her knees again.

"NO TOUCHING!"

Since no one knows how much lovey-dovey it takes for METAL golems to show up, apparently anything beyond shouting at the top of our lungs is forbidden.

"Three coming from over there. And five from the opposite side. All regular golems."

Presences all green, sizes all identical.

Metal golems have slightly larger presences, so these should all be Sand Golems.

"I'll take the bigger group. I've charged up, so it's fine."

Kasumi-san seems to have some kind of charging skill as well.

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"Thank goodness...... We managed to level up. Let's head back quickly."

Kasumi-san's level hit 37, but it's already past six.

The sunset visible from the summit is a breathtaking sight, but there's a curfew, so we have to hurry home.

My level had gone up earlier, but Kasumi-san's wouldn't, and we lost all track of when to stop.

For Kasumi-san, being a lower level than me—her supposed protected charge—is apparently unbearable.

Is that her sore-loser streak too?

This leveling method is vastly more efficient than doing it solo.

Alone, the experience might be doubled, but you have to trudge around hunting for golems yourself.

Here, without lifting a finger (well, except for the shouting), ten times the golems—or more—come straight to us. No contest.

Besides, when I fight a crowd alone there are moments I have to run, but with Kasumi-san and me guarding each other's backs, today the evacuation count into the 'Left Hand Gate' was zero.

"It's still early enough that dinner won't have started, so we'll make it in time."

For all that efficiency, we barely made it before the deadline.

At this level, one level-up per day might be getting difficult, huh?

Tomorrow starts with climbing the mountain toward the 'Gate to Floor 38,' so there's a chance only I level up......

Which means the touching might finally become necessary, no?

It's for the leveling, so it can't be helped.

"Shall we set out bright and early tomorrow? Ah—the rest can wait for tonight's phone call. Please hurry."

Yes, ma'am.

A five AM wake-up, I take it?

I wanted to ask what Soushi and Aikawa got up to today, too......

On the way out, when I passed in front of the counter, the newbie took one look at my face and hid under her desk for some reason.

Next to her was Akane-san.

Hiramatsu-san really has gone off on a training journey, it seems......