ch241-ch260 · 244-ch244
Chapter 244: Nantoka Haruki and Pops
"Th-thief?"
Did this guy just say "thief"?
Is that a self-introduction?
He inches backward away from me, but then it dawns on me that I have nothing to fear.
My level is 38.
An upper-rank job on top of that.
A beginner-tier job shouldn't just fail to hurt me—he shouldn't even be able to lay a finger on me.
"I—I'm a Triple-Rank adventurer, you know! My level's high too! If you don't want to get hurt...... th-then go home quietly like a good—like a grown-up!"
Wh-what was that.
THIS tiny old man, a Triple-Rank......
Wait—don't tell me "thief" is the upper-rank job of 【Thief】!?
"S-so what? You're not getting away!"
But targeting Mia-san's shop is unforgivable.
I WILL catch him.
If he's Triple-Rank, hitting him full strength should be fine, right?
I ball my fists and take my stance.
"P-Pye. M-my, my life—just my li......"
Li-li?
And—Mia-san's presence is approaching.
Aikawa's and Soushi's too.
So Aikawa was alive......
And one more.
A presence I don't know.
Before everyone arrives, let me take this one down at least, then the two in the back......
Oh no.
A red presence from the back......
"Was there something you needed?"
Huh?
The ones poking their heads out from the back are the two new high school girl part-timers.
Why?
Both of their presence colors have changed......
No, no time for that.
"STAY BACK!"
Once more, the little old man and I harmonize.
"Stay back," they say—so they're not his accomplices, apparently.
"Huh? Ah—um, it's Nantoka Haruki. Something you need?"
The delinquent girl in the jersey calls out to me, but right now I have no time for this.
......What was her name again?
"Himea-chan. It's Kasugano-san, Kasugano-san."
And the other one—the chubby one...... wait, did she slim down?
Her whole vibe has changed along with her presence, but I think that's the girl from before.
Her name was......
"Oh right, right—Kasugano. Miki, good memory."
That's right—Miki-san.
I remembered, you know.
Wasn't the surname something like Minami or Kita?
"Higashi-san! Nishino-san! Run for it!"
"Huh?"
Wasn't it Minami-san and Kitano-san......
Wait, why does this old man know their names?
Don't tell me......
"So not a thief—a stalker?"
"Eh?"
"Eh?"
Might as well deck him......
"Oh, Haruki's here too. ......What are you doing?"
Mia-san and the others have arrived.
Soushi's level is right on the cusp of 30, but 【Staff User】 is a beginner job.
Against an upper-rank job holder like this little old man, the odds would be bad.
So once again, it falls to me to do something......
"Mia-san, grab some kind of weapon, please. A spear—a small one's fine, so......"
"Miyako, do not come here. Your father will handle this, so run, quickly......"
"Eh?"
Eh? Her FATHER?
Whose?
Then the one standing next to Mia-san is her mother?
"I TOLD you not to call me Miyako inside the dungeon. And Haruki—what do you need a spear for?"
"......"
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"Well, it's a first meeting, so I suppose these things happen. Haruki, Soushi—this is my dad. And this is my mom. Soushi, first time meeting those two? That's Hina and Miki. Hina, Miki—this is Soushi. Introduce yourselves and—"
"Hold it, Miyako. What exactly is your relationship with this Haruki boy?"
The little old man—correction, Mia-san's father—asks about me.
"Stop calling me Miyako. This is the party of Natsuki, who lodges here. Nothing more to it, got it?"
"Eh? Isn't he Mia-san's boyfriend? Kokoa-nee said so, and there's even a rumor going around headquarters, you know?"
The delinquent girl Miki drops a bomb.
"My, my. Is that so? Haruki-kun? And what would your family name be?"
Mia-san's mother joins the fray.
Mother is taller than father, you see.
Height goes: mother > father > Mia-san.
"How many times do I have to say it—I'm NOT! Haruki, say something!"
"Um, well. That aside—your father being Triple-Rank is amazing, though."
If he's neither a "thief" nor a "stalker," what IS his job?
"Hm? Triple? Pops is Level 2, you know?"
That was close!
Of all things—NO JOB!
Level 2 means he's no different from any ordinary person!
If I'd swung at him full strength......
"Well, that was...... I made it up, trying to scare you off somehow."
"Honestly, what ARE you doing...... Enough. Haruki, if you've got no business here, out with you!"
"Right. Excuse me, then. Father, Mother—take care."
Chased off by an exasperated Mia-san, I greet her parents and head back to the warehouse.
"F-Father-in-law!? There's no way a whippersnapper like you gets to call me father-in-law!"
"Wro-o-ong—I keep TELLING you that's not it!"
First things first: get Soushi to Level 30 on the Sand Golems of Floor 38.
Will we make it back to Floor 30 by lunch?