ch81-ch100 · 087-ch87

Chapter 87: The Temptation of Human Experimentation

"One more push needed, hm? All right, fine. If you'll bare a little for me, I'll bare a little for you."

Hm?

With that, Dr. Amamiya rolls her caster chair up close and whispers in my ear.

"...Bleeding from the nose in front of people would be embarrassing, wouldn't it? Then I'll show you something embarrassing of mine in return?"

Say what now?

The beautiful doctor doing a cutesy little act?

"Fufufu. Guaranteed to work, no? Well then—shall we head over to the headquarters dungeon right there?"

I put a hand on the doctor's shoulder and push her chair back to where it was.

Then I answer with the most serious face I can muster.

"With regret, let's pretend this conversation never happened. Including what you just said."

"You're a healthy teenage boy. This is only natura—eh? You turned me down?"

Hearing 'headquarters dungeon' snapped me back to my senses.

"Doctor, please value yourself more. Something like that is something you should only show to the person you treasure most."

"Gah. That was... weirdly cool of him."

That's right. The person I treasure.

I have Kasumi-san, so attacks like that won't work on me.

It is absolutely not because I don't have my license on me.

Absolutely not... ugh.

Time to go home...

I get up from the chair and try to leave the room.

"Hold on. My apologies. I was just messing around too much. What will it take for you to let me collect the data?"

I still need to find a treatment—or at least a fix—so letting her collect data is honestly fine.

"I don't mind if you come to the Chiba Dungeon for it. Though I'd prefer we pick another day."

Better to check with Kasumi-san first and have her present when it happens.

I'd rather avoid any weird misunderstandings, and this pervert is a little scary.

I'll have her protect me.

"Hmm. Chiba, huh... I don't have my equipment there. Hauling it in takes time, and there's safety to consider. At headquarters we have my university's facility, and other doctors should be stationed there. It's the Association's headquarters, after all—there are 【Healers】. And if I use the university's name, I could probably even borrow that Holy Maiden the Association is so proud of. So how about headquarters?"

The Holy Maiden!

The Association employee with the high-rank job 【Saint】 who's in the Adventurer's Association commercials.

She's called the face of the Association, and gets plenty of TV and media exposure.

I'd love to meet her... but healing-type jobs are a no-go.

She's bound to have 【Analyze・HP】.

A high-rank job would get exposed in a single look.

Shiraishi-san saw through me right away, after all.

By that logic, getting anywhere near the headquarters dungeon—crawling with healing-job holders—is dangerous.

The high-rank job getting noticed is fine. The problem is if they find out how I got it in so little time.

If they hound me and 【Gate】 comes to light, I could end up a lab animal.

Getting a high-rank job—that is, clearing Floor 30—is said to take even a serious, full-strength party of five two years.

Maybe I should stay away from headquarters for two years.

"Come on, come on. Pleeease?"

This pervert who wants to watch my nosebleed.

Caution can't hurt, but she's already got her eye on me.

Luring her to Chiba is my only option...

"I'm telling you, Chiba works. Well then, that's settled."

"Aw, come on. Wait— I'll definitely come, you know!"

I came for a normal checkup, and all I got was 'take it easy.' Probably won't even get a prescription.

What a waste of energy.

I'll grab some food and head back.

I'm going to see Kasumi-san this afternoon.

︙

︙

I got to the Chiba branch right after noon, and Kasumi-san was waiting outside for me.

Kasumi-san has counter duty inside the dungeon from the afternoon, but I can't go in—no license.

I'd been planning to ask Hayashi-san to fetch her, but since I'd told Kasumi-san my arrival time in advance, she came out to meet me.

Something she wants to discuss on the surface side before going into the dungeon...

Just as we move toward the meeting room, the newbie receptionist comes out of the 'Dungeon Gate.'

She's carrying a big cardboard box, and it looks heavy.

She's wobbling all over.

Working the Chiba Dungeon?

That's unusual, I think, and watch her closely.

Two extra-large cardboard boxes, plus a long pole-shaped thing wrapped round and round in cloth.

Looks like she carried them out of the dungeon, and she's handing them over to a delivery-company sort of guy.

What could that be?

"What's all that?"

"Orc General armor, and a spear with no spearhead. We're sending them to Mia-san."

Kasumi-san answers.

Ah, right. I'm the one who created that work order.

"You don't have the spearhead, then?"

"No. I lost it."

Either inside the Floor 30 wall, or absorbed by the dungeon...

It might have just vaporized on impact, too.

"We reached Mia-san a little while ago. She wants you brought over so she can take your measurements. ...She also had a message: keep up with your weapon maintenance."

So she's angry.

The scolding tour continues, it seems.

"About that—would it be possible to have Mia-san come here instead? ...Let's continue in the meeting room."

Hayashi-san has come over.

She's staring at me.

What does she want?

"Kasugano-san, the branch manager will see you now. It's a scolding."

Still going, it seems.