ch281-ch300 · 295-ch295

Chapter 295: The Principal: "Good Morning, President."

'Did you know that every one of the top-tier parties is a new party?'

After everything that happened today, I'm home, on my nightly phone call with Kasumi-san.

"Huh? 'Blue Ocean' has been around from the very start, though—a party founded by Ao-san and Kaito-san, right?"

'The two of them, yes, but the other members are different. They were members of the same university adventurer circle, but each belonged to a separate party, and the combat jobs who remained went on to form those five. After the circle's representative died in the dungeon and it was all but disbanded, 'Blue Ocean' was formed by drawing away the members it has now...... No—actually, you know that incident better than I do, Haruki-san......'

Huh?

"No, I've only heard that much about the circle's representative and so on. I don't know the details. I do know they pulled 'Sword Saint-chan' and Furuta-san out of other parties, though......"

'What......? Ah—no, please forget everything I just said. Back to the matter at hand! In any case: among the top-tier parties, there is not a single one that still has all of its founding members.'

Now I'm even MORE curious, though......

"Come to think of it, with Aikawa's father's party too—was Makihara-san a latecomer?"

Top-tier parties means Bear Ossan.

Even that guy leads a party ranked second only to 'Blue Ocean' at HQ, you know.

'Indeed. She originally freelanced in parties much as I did, but it seems she was rescued by Mr. Aikawa inside the dungeon, and that is what brought the two of them close......'

The "save a girl in the dungeon and hit it off" guy!

The situation every boy dreams of.

(I wonder if there's a damsel in distress lying around somewhere?)

'Makihara-senpai is a naginata master in her own right, and every other member was an ace of a different party. That's how it is for all the top-tier parties. They are parties formed by strong people leaving the parties they already belonged to.'

"Huh? Then what happens to the original party?"

'Some replace the vacant spots and keep going, but most disband. After that, they join freelance parties, or form parties with those whose abilities match theirs—or simply retire...... The point I am making is that parties whose members' abilities don't match simply don't work out.'

It's a cold, hard world—but past Floor 30, that's how it is.

Even Triple-Ranks often find themselves helpless against the metal golems......

The vast majority of Triple-Rank parties have shifted their main hunting grounds to the 20s floors.

To go higher, you have to match your party's abilities.

Still, other parties do some pretty ruthless things, huh.

If quitting and poaching are everyday affairs, then banishment must be normal too.

And someday, a second and third Umemoto will......

"And what does any of that have to do with this surprise?"

Right—at the moment, I was asking about the "other meaning" of the surprise Soushi mentioned.

And somehow the conversation had drifted into ominous talk about party departures and disbandings.

'As things stand, in our party Haruki-san's strength towers over everyone, and the rest of us are simply riding on your back. I had been thinking that at this rate we are in danger of dissolving before the four years are up. I know it is not my place to speak on your friendship with Natsukawa-san. But I witnessed Natsukawa-san practicing his fujutsu alone during exam week...... After discussing it with Aikawa-san as well, it ended in this reverse surprise—as a way of showing what we can do on our own.'

What were you DOING during exam week, you......

"There's even a word for it—'carry'—and we're still at the leveling stage, aren't we?"

'The levels have long since caught up, and I have never once heard of being carried to Floor 40. The very statement is already otherworldly. Please take more interest in how amazing you are.'

You think?

There's the famous story of the overseas billionaire who paid a fortune, mobilized a military, cleared Floor 40, and only then became an adventurer.

That's the starting line for us, too.

"Well, we've already reached Floor 40, and from here it's just taking it slow, so I'd call it a groundless worry. Besides, never mind those two—are you included in this too, Kasumi-san? Aren't you strong enough already......"

At the very least, I don't think Kasumi-san needs to prove her strength.

I couldn't lay a finger on that black armor, after all, and even with hyper mode I doubt I could.

I don't know what that thing is, but there's no doubt it's modeled on me or Kasumi-san.

Thinking about it, I wonder if I couldn't actually beat Kasumi-san in a real fight?

If anything, I'M the one losing confidence......

'That thought vanished when you sprang your surprise on us, you know. Dropping a Manticore on the surface...... you never even needed to do that. ......It makes me anxious, too—wondering if I am not needed. And taking that poison was to protect me as well. I swore to protect you, Haruki-san, and yet the one always being protected is me...... At the very least, I wanted to prove that I can kill that snake.'

So that's why it was the Windmill?

It was so magnificent that watching Kasumi-san perform it once taught me more than any lesson from Hiramatsu-san.

"The poison was my mistake, so please don't blame yourself over it. Besides, I'm not with you because I want protecting, you know? If I couldn't be with you, Kasumi-san, I'd quit going to the dungeon altogether."

'Even so...... I want to be needed. Inside the dungeon, and outside it as well......'

"You are needed, Kasumi-san. ......Inside the dungeon, and outside it too......"

'Then please put it into more words......'

We did plenty of that in the dungeon, didn't we?

Or is that not the point?

"Outside too," huh......

The phone call ran late into the night......

It's right after exams, so a little is fine, right?

"Aikawa's new job......"

'She says she's short on skill points......'

"Your pick, Kasumi-san......"

'Oh my—you didn't notice? I have been raising my defense with 【Armor Enhancement】......'

"Ah, I can do armor enhancement now too, so we match......"

'How shall we lure Mia-san out......'

"Kasumi-san pretends to be absent, and we carry the golems out......"

'Then a weekday it is. My paid leave is just about used up......'

︙

︙

"Good morning, President."

Hogeh.

When I get to school in the morning, the person doing cleaning duty greets me.

"G-good morning, Principal."

The PRINCIPAL!

The greeting is fine, I suppose.

Stopping his cleaning to bow, too—fine, I'll allow it.

Speaking honorific language to someone younger than him, and so well-mannered on top of it—excellent, very good.

But 'President' is not fine. NOT fine!

What is going on with this school......

"Presideeent! Something teeerrible has happened, I say—!"

Before I can enter the classroom, Ota the dungeon otaku flags me down.

"What? Did somebody conquer Floor 50? Also, quit calling me President."

Nobody has conquered Floor 50 yet—a boss area with not a single person ever coming back.

Lately I haven't even heard of anyone trying, either.

Could 'Blue Ocean' have announced an attempt or something?

"The last remaining fan club has announced it's coming under our banner!"

What happened to the dungeon talk?

You're supposed to be the dungeon otaku......

The fan clubs, of course, are the fan clubs of our school's goddess, Mizuki Saori.

"Huh? Didn't the four from before make up the whole set?"

"No—those were the student-side fan clubs. Including our Adoration Society, there were five in all, and now there is one...... But the last fan club to pledge submission this time is, believe it or not, a TEACHERS' fan club!"

"That's a criminal organization!"

Don't "believe it or not" me.

That can't be allowed......

"Nay, it is not so. Even this humble one knew of it only by rumor, but having spoken with their representative, Mister Ono, I am told it is a society to prevent such things before they happen......"

Mister Ono...... the grade head as ringleader—no, representative......

According to Ota, it's an organization to keep teachers from getting ideas about the too-beautiful Mizuki, or from abusing their authority to get close to her.

Its membership: every male member of staff.

"And that's why the principal greeted me......"

They receive thorough education, and anyone who strays is fired from this school......

Well, being fired is only normal.

"It seems they had long been impressed by the President's pure and upright principles, and yesterday, when the executives met you in person, their resolve to submit was settled."

"The executives who were in that room yesterday!?"

Apparently their principles and whatever this Goddess Adoration Society is had something in common, so they folded themselves under our banner, and there it is.

No wonder even the teachers, and not just the students, have been calling me President lately.

Still, the principal isn't the representative, huh......

As policy, it seems the classes Mizuki takes are handled by female teachers wherever possible—it started as an organization for our year alone, but since teachers from other years sometimes take those classes, the organization grew to coordinate.

These days everyone adult and male in the school is a member—the principal, the teachers, the security guards, right down to the janitors.

Which is more fearsome: Mizuki, or the grade head......

"Even the principal has come under our banner. And so, the President has become the ruler who governs this entire academy, I say."

He's saying something ominous......