ch61-ch80 · 079-ch79

Chapter 79: Special Skill Growth

"Why is my mother at the branch?"

My mother doesn't know I'm an adventurer, you know.

"Because the branch called her, obviously? First, we change clothes at the warehouse. Up you get, now."

Urged along, I move to the 'Gate to Floor 1.'

"I was only gone for one night, right? That's all?"

"Just one night, huh... Haah. Your friend came, you see. Said you hadn't come home. And since you hadn't come back, the Association must have judged that something unexpected had happened. So they contacted your mother Harue-san."

The friend—Soushi?

"Was she angry?"

"Hardly. She was trembling the whole time. But she wasn't crying—she kept saying you'd come home. A fine mother, that one. Well, the scolding comes later, I'd imagine. I came intending to stick up for you, but seeing the state of you, I changed my mind. I also understand now why Watanabe-san was so worried about you. Your mama is going to give you what for."

She really didn't need to worry that much...

And Kasumi-san...

It's Monday, so she should be at work right now.

And since my mother is here, that means my not coming home has come to light.

My "it's Monday, so I'm at school" plan probably won't fly.

"Come on, get changed already."

Before I finished thinking up a way to escape the scolding, we arrived at the warehouse.

I go up to the second floor and change.

Shiraishi-san is browsing around the warehouse.

Looking for evidence?

Too bad. She won't find anything.

The most she'll turn up is magic stones from Floor 21.

(This is bad.)

Blood dripping down my back has stained even my underwear crimson.

I'm usually drenched blue in monster blood, but today I'm bright red.

And my face is dead white on top of it.

This time was genuinely close, but it was just an MP management mistake.

I still made it home, after all.

I don't die.

Is that not good enough?

Not good enough, huh...

"Haruki-san? Are you in there? Shiraishi-san?"

Bang bang bang on the side door.

That voice is Kasumi-san.

I finish changing and come down into the warehouse.

"Haruki-san!"

She throws her arms around me.

Warm. And soft.

That's when I notice Shiraishi-san's gaze.

"Hey. Watanabe-san. Don't spoil him!"

She's mad.

Ah, Kasumi-san let go.

"Ah, forgive me. What's gotten into me. But I was so worried... sob... sob"

She's crying...?

Why?

I was only a little late coming home?

"I trusted you. But if—if you hadn't come home... sob... I'm sorry."

Why are you apologizing?

I'm the one at fault here...

"Okay, okay. Stop right there. Watanabe-san, pull yourself together. First, we return this little boy to his mama. Until mama's lecture is over, there's no role for the rest of us."

"You're right. Your mother is worried sick back at the branch. Let's go right away."

Kasumi-san jerks her face up.

My mother, huh...

She doesn't even know I'm an adventurer.

What do I do?

"...Haruki-san? You look terribly pale."

"He's just low on blood—ignore it. I intend to keep lecturing him straight through the hospital trip and the transfusion."

"That's right, he's fine. His nosebleed came back and he's just a little anemic, that's all."

I just changed clothes and all—let's go with that story and keep them from worrying any more than they already are.

Seems that was Shiraishi-san's intent, too.

"Blood?... I understand."

With that, Kasumi-san lifts me up.

"Wawah."

This is a princess carry.

"I told you not to spoil him any more than you already have!"

Mmm. Warm, soft, and she smells nice.

So this is heaven.

"...Hm? This is serious. I can't feel Haruki-san's weight at all. He's lost too much blood."

"Yes, yes. It's that special skill of yours, Watanabe-san. Enough—let's go."

Kasumi-san says this while bouncing me up and down, but Shiraishi-san's handling is rough.

Under normal circumstances, this is exactly the kind of situation she'd jump for joy over.

Is she incredibly angry?

There's no doubt she's realized I went to Floor 30.

But the only one who knows that is Shiraishi-san.

If I can win this person over, maybe I won't get scolded after all?

"Ah, wait, one moment. You see, my special skill doesn't activate when I'm carrying a person in my arms. It shouldn't activate unless I put them in a bag and carry them on my back."

Carrying me the whole way, Kasumi-san follows Shiraishi-san, who has already left the warehouse.

She's tested it with a person in a bag?

Mia-san could probably fit in one...

"Then it evolved, didn't it? Good for you."

"Evolved? Special skills can evolve?"

Seriously? Then my 【Gate】 can evolve too?

"Well, you do hear about them growing, if not exactly evolving. With special skills that grow in obvious ways—effect magnitude, MP efficiency—you should be able to feel the difference."

Kasumi-san answers my question.

Shiraishi-san strides on ahead.

And then, without turning around, she says:

"Watanabe-san's special skill was Equipment-something, wasn't it? So the little boy counts as equipment now, because you've started thinking of him as yours."

What she calls me went from polite 'you' to casual 'you,' and now it's 'little boy.'

At this rate, 'brat' is next.

"Th-that's not—I would never think of him as mine..."

"Once you've got the knack, you'll probably be able to lift other people too, going forward... I've always thought this, but you undersell your own special skill far too much, Watanabe-san. Judging by how this is going, if you decided the Earth was yours, I bet you could lift the Earth itself. It's an amazing skill. Have some confidence."

Skills don't work on the surface, so I don't think she could lift the Earth...

But when I think about my 【Gate】, honestly, special skills are exactly the kind of thing where even that wouldn't be surprising.

"It's all in my head, then? I have heard that the best buffer in the dungeon is the 【Hypnotist】. And the knack... you mean like this? Like this?"

"Like this?" Kasumi-san says, bouncing me up and down.

(Th-this is...)

...Bliss.

"Hey, Watanabe-san! Making his mother wait while you two flirt—that is the number one thing you must not do. Got it? What comes next is the tearful reunion between the little boy and his mother. And you have to slip into that scene without a hint of anything out of place. Do you understand? This is the most critical part of all. You have far too little sense of crisis."

"Y-yes. I'm sorry."

Hmm? I thought she was angry, but hasn't the topic changed somehow?

"And that goes for you too, little boy. While showing proper respect to Harue-san, you must remain absolutely, unconditionally on Watanabe-san's side. It's extremely difficult, but if you can't manage that, you have no future."