ch321-ch340 · 324-ch324

Chapter 324: Why Did You Do Something That Dangerous?

"This would be Mia-san's shop."

"Huh? Is that a Golem? Amazing. So that's what they look like in person. Iron, I guess? An Iron Golem, huh? Wow—looks strooong."

Guided by Watanabe-san, we arrive at this Mia-san person's shop.

Two Iron Golems stand before the shop like gatekeepers.

From the look of the sign, Mia-san's shop is apparently a weapon shop.

I'd always wanted to try going inside a weapon shop, you know.

This'll be fun.

"Haru-kun, you've had it rough, haven't you. Ah, right—you don't know who I am either. I'm Mii-chan's...... Miyako's mother. Feel free to just call me Mama."

Is this person Mia-san?

No way I can call her "Mama," though......

But—who's Miyako?

"Yes...... There's quite a lot on display here. Hm? Is that a utility pole?"

"That is the Giant's Spear. If you can use 【Weapon Enhancement】 on it, they say you're a first-rate spearman. You managed it before, Haru-kun—can you do it now, I wonder? You were lifting this thing, you know? Like this—hnnph!"

That's not a size you hoist with a little "hnnph"......

"Um, so how does one use 'Weapon Enhancement'?"

"Ah, not right now. Dr. Amamiya told us to refrain from using skills for a while......"

That's right......

"Oh my? Is that so? Sorry, sorry. Oh—yes! I meant to give you this. The one that didn't sell. It's the replaceable kind, so take it. Probably a type Haru-kun doesn't have yet."

"Thanks? Oh—a shuriken! Wow, are you sure?"

"Ufufu, Haru-kun is Haru-kun even without his memories, isn't he. Once you're better, do come buy lots more."

Wow.

"More" means...... I already have a bunch of shuriken?

I wonder if I could throw this thing well?

Mia-san is such a nice person.

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"Why the meeting room?"

We came up to the surface and moved to the meeting room on the branch's second floor.

"Because we've got things to discuss you can't have overheard. Ah—right, high Status sharpens your hearing too. On the shop's second floor, the customers downstairs might hear us. By the way, I heard you happily accepting that shuriken just fine, you know."

Soushi answers.

The ones who came here with me are Soushi, Aikawa, and Watanabe-san.

"So? What are these things that can't be overheard?"

"Your special skill, Haruki-san. And we wished to discuss what comes next as well, so we arranged this."

Watanabe-san answers in Soushi's place.

"My special skill—the so-called 【Gate】, right?"

I'm curious how much it can do myself.

Whether it works across floors, and if so, whether it works in boss rooms.

Even if it can't, things like flanking behind an enemy—seems like there'd be plenty of uses.

"Yes. Its power is so extraordinary that if it ever leaked, people would try to exploit Haruki-san's strength—or kidnap him outright. So please, never use it in front of others. The only ones who know are the four of us here, Mia-san, and Shiraishi-san."

So Mia-san knows......

And Shiraishi-san.

Another name I don't know.

"What's the skill like?"

"It's a skill that sets up a pair of 'Gates'—passing through one teleports you to the other. As long as they're placed, it reaches anywhere inside the dungeon. If you set your mind to it, it crosses not just floors but even into another dungeon."

Another dungeon?

Huh? If it's teleportation, couldn't I get from Chiba to Aomori in an instant?

Well, never mind that for now.

"Can it be used on Floor 10, or in the boss area? We can't leave without beating the boss, obviously, right?"

"We can. It's even possible to jump straight from Mia-san's shop on Floor 1 to the Floor 30 boss room and come back without beating the boss."

So it CAN be done......

Then Floor 50 really is......

"You know, the first time I came to the dungeon, you went and dragged me straight up to Floor 10 with it."

"Huh? Why did you do something that dangerous?"

"You're the one who did it!"

Apparently my past self pulled some outrageous prank.

Would I even do that?

"Hey—isn't Floor 50 still uncleared? Even if conquering it with this 【Gate】 is impossible, couldn't we bring back info on the boss monster or something? Film it, sell the information—couldn't we live large on that alone?"

Floor 50 is probably a long way off, but I think making it our goal and working toward it is a fine idea.

"Huh? You're bringing THAT up now? Well, I guess you wouldn't remember. Like Watanabe-san said earlier—we decided that skill stays hidden, since if it gets out it could cost Haru-kun his life. Filming it and standing out are banned too. We're earning plenty of money, and Haru-kun said he'd quit being an adventurer once he graduated university, you know? Let's talk about the future instead of that."

So we ARE earning money.

Well, I am Double-Rank.

No standing out either, huh. That's rough.

And quitting adventuring after university—what was I planning to do after that?

Had I not thought that far?

"Then, from me. First, about Haruki-san's treatment. According to Dr. Amamiya, re-experiencing what he has lived through may summon the memories back. So I would like the two of you to reenact with Haruki-san the things he experienced over these past six months."

"Hmmm—but 'memories'? Feels like all we did was stay in the dungeon. Was there anything else? I haven't hung out with Haru-kun outside at all......"

"True, Haruki's a dungeon idiot. Memories, memories...... Ah! Come to think of it, my first day in the dungeon we had yakiniku, I think! Let's do yakiniku tonight!"

What's this "dungeon idiot" business?

Don't lump me in with that Ota guy, the dungeon otaku.

If the dungeon otaku's nickname is Ota, then the dungeon idiot's nickname would just be "Idiot," wouldn't it?

"There was one, wasn't there. That time Mia-san made a frying pan explode and it turned into quite the mess. Let's have that reenacted."

Huh? Mia-san?

That person—she's a married woman with a kid, and she's bad at cooking?

It's kind of a cute gap, though......

"Did that happen? Huh? We haven't seen Mia-san today, have we?"

Huh? She was here just now?

"Now that you mention it, we haven't seen her lately, have we?"

"Not this morning either. For about three days now, she hasn't been around in the mornings."

"Mia-san looks like a kid—do you think she got kidnapped?"

She does have a childlike side—selling shuriken and all.

"Oh!"

All three cry out at once.

Huh?

I'm TELLING you, she was here just now......