arc1 · 011-ch11

Episode 11: Popularity Period

　They say there are three popularity periods in a person's life, but in my previous life, I never felt that way even once. I did get a girlfriend through a matching app once, but that was only after months of using the app. Even that relationship didn't last long in the end.

　But someone like me is currently in the middle of a flourishing popularity period.

"Jozenji, you've gotten so handsome!!"

"You got into a dungeon!? You're too much of a hunk now!"

"Here's my contact info! Email me!"

"Not fair! I want to exchange contacts too!!"

　I never realized just changing your face could make this much difference. The world really does care about appearances. My classmates were swarming around Suzuka to the extent that such thoughts involuntarily crossed my mind.

　The age for entering dungeons is 15, but most people don't start leveling up in dungeons until they're in high school. In middle school third year, there are hardly anyone who works hard at leveling up in dungeons. Even considering the time of late June, there are probably few people who can even enter dungeons due to birthday constraints.

　If someone leveled up in a dungeon during such a period, they'd attract attention. And if their face became more handsome, they'd draw even more interest. Suzuka's height remained small, but his face had become quite handsome. This could be called a very good result among the physical changes that occur in dungeons.

　In other words, the shock of a guy who didn't stand out in class suddenly becoming the school's number one hunk is huge. Result: he becomes popular. When someone suddenly becomes popular, jealousy is born. However, having good looks in a dungeon means that your stats have also increased. In this world, there's no idiot who would challenge someone with higher stats. If you carelessly provoke them, you'll be the one getting hurt.

　In other words, in this world, the more handsome or beautiful someone is, the physically stronger they are, and the uglier someone is, the weaker their power. What a cruel world. For those with superior looks to yourself, you can feel jealous, but if you show it in your attitude, your face will be changed to look even uglier.

　But such common sense doesn't always apply to middle schoolers in their sensitive adolescent period.

"What's this, Jozenji! Did you go to a training facility with your parents' money? Since you're still a middle schooler, did you get your big brother to accompany you, hey?"

　Ikezaki from the soccer club started picking a fight. This guy had a good face and good athletic reflexes, so he was in the upper caste in middle school. I don't know the details since we had no contact after graduation, but when I saw him at the coming-of-age ceremony, he was doing the same half-hearted provocation as in middle school, from a distance. He must have been one of the favorites.

"Someone like you should aim for Explorer High School. If you're going to be scared from a distance and use guns, there's no way you can be an explorer, you know?"

　Explorer High School probably refers to explorer high school. It's well known that leveling up with guns has poor quality, and stats don't increase much, so you won't be able to make it as an explorer.

　So Ikezaki is going to Explorer High School. I thought his head wasn't very good, but if it's Explorer High School, academic ability isn't emphasized. He has good athletic reflexes, so he might be suited for it.

"Like, if my face changes that much with training facility stats, then if I go to Explorer High School, I could become quite handsome too!! That gives me too much hope!!"

"True. With Jozenji looking like this, Ikezaki's in trouble, isn't he?"

"Ah, maybe I should get my parents to pay for the training facility too. I want to go as soon as I enter high school."

　Perhaps the girls around Ikezaki calmed down at his words, because they settled down a bit. Training facilities don't increase stats much, and the physical changes are small. So, it's natural to think that Ikezaki, who was originally good-looking and will attend Explorer High School, would become more handsome than Suzuka, who was originally mob-faced.

　When the upper caste girls left and started talking about last night's drama, Ikezaki seemed satisfied and went back to where his friends were.

　Amazing. I didn't say a single word yet everything ended. Is that social skill? Or speech power? Wait, is that how middle schoolers are? Suzuka tilted his head.

　In place of the upper caste group, classmates interested in dungeons gathered around. Seeing that, Ikezaki wasn't interested this time, so he didn't come to pick a fight. There was a girl he liked among those who left. Do your best, Ikezaki. I'm rooting for you.

　◇

　After that, various things happened. Students from other classes came to the classroom one after another out of curiosity, and when I was called by a teacher and mental health counseling even started over whether something had happened, I wondered what would happen.

　But by the time school ended, Suzuka's popularity period was coming to an end. The younger students were still glancing over, so it wasn't completely over yet.

　Suzuka wants to get a girlfriend and experience youth too, but on the inside, he's a 30-year-old man. His peers seem way too young, and honestly, the desire to date someone doesn't well up. He's not dead inside or anything, but Suzuka apparently isn't a lolicon. Even though he could use his popularity period now, he was spending his days quietly.

"Suzuka! Let's go home."

　Yasunori Ando from the next class, nicknamed Yasu, called out to me.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Let's go, Yasu."

　Since we were in the same club activity, he's my closest friend. That friendship hasn't changed with age, and we have a long relationship where we still played together even at 30. There are many among my classmates I could call friends, but we wouldn't meet after graduation. Knowing that, I want to cherish Yasu, but I think having appropriate relationships with my classmates is fine. That's why even towards Ikezaki, who had been picking fights half-heartedly, no feelings welled up.

"By the way, if you were going to a dungeon, you should have told me!"

"Sorry, sorry. I suddenly wanted to try going. They say when the spirit moves, act on it, right?"

　Naturally, the topic of conversation was about Suzuka's dungeon exploration this time.

"See, my sister and brother both went to training facilities, so... I kind of get it. The change in stats at training facilities."

　Yasu looked around lightly and confirmed that no one was listening.

"You're not at a training facility, right? Ikezaki and the others were spreading that you went to a training facility, but training facilities aren't something you finish in just a weekend-like two days."

　Training facilities help with leveling, but it's not a schedule to reach level 10 in a few days. Even though you use guns to easily defeat monsters, leveling isn't that simple. There's the trouble of finding monsters, and once you pass level 5, enemies become faster, so you have to use considerable nerve for each battle. Therefore, even with a packed schedule, it takes more than a month to reach level 10.

"Busted? Since Ikezaki and the others were noisy, we were matching our stories, but I didn't use a training facility. I don't have that kind of money."

"Right? Did you get your big brother to take you?"

"No, I went alone."

"Hah?"

　Yasu looked at Suzuka with a foolish face. We met often, so I never thought he looked old, but seeing him like this, 30-year-old Yasu looked old, I thought.

"After the test ended, I really wanted to go to a dungeon, so I went to Hachioji Dungeon on Saturday."

"Alone?"

"Yeah."

"Have you lost your mind? Even if you have a gun, going alone is dangerous, you know."

"No, I didn't rent a gun. It's expensive, and you need a companion, plus I heard stat growth is poor with them."

"Hah!? Seriously, man. Just going to a dungeon alone is crazy enough, and you didn't even use a gun!?"

　Now that he mentions it, it might have been a crazy action. For people of this worldline, if you're going to become an explorer, it's common sense to attend Explorer High School where backup is plentiful, and if you just want to raise your level, it's common sense to go to a training facility.

　But Suzuka doesn't have such common sense. Because just having dungeons is already an uncommon world, Suzuka was able to take actions that people in this world wouldn't have as a common sense choice.

"I hear that with swords, just swinging them is tough when you're level 1? You really managed to defeat monsters."

"Certainly, swinging a sword was hard. That was a blind spot."

　I simply didn't rent one to save on rental fees, but if I had rented one, I might have been swung around by the sword and not done well. Since it's a bladed weapon, in the worst case I could have injured myself. Maybe the metal bat was the right choice after all.

"What do you mean by that? If you didn't use a gun, then you only had swords, right?"

"No, swords also have rental fees, so I thought it was wasteful and brought the bat I used in elementary school."

"A bat? You went to defeat monsters with a bat?"

"Yeah. Hachioji Dungeon has Drunken Sheep, but it took a stupid amount of time to defeat one."

　Since there was no reply, I looked at Yasu, and he had a face like he was completely turned off.

"You're crazy. Were you always this stupid?"

"That's a harsh way to put it. It's a metal bat, you know. A metal bat. I could swing it with full power and it was a good weapon! My hand skin peels off, but other than that, it's a recommended weapon."

"No, umm... You're scary. You really didn't die."

"Honestly, before my level went up, I thought I was going to die."

"You almost died, didn't you!!"

　I told Yasu in detail about the story of dungeon exploration. Once stats go up, physical abilities improve considerably, so exploration becomes even more fun.

"Sounds nice, dungeons. Looks interesting."

"Oh, what's this, Yasu. Interested? Want to go together this weekend?"

　I couldn't go to the dungeon on Sunday because going out was prohibited, but basically I plan to go to dungeons on weekends. I thought about going on weekdays too, but after school ends it's tight on time, so I gave up on that.

"Me too? Together with a guy who goes into a dungeon with nothing but a metal bat?"

"Leave it to me. Metal bats aren't bad either."

"A dungeon, uh, sure, I'll go! Dungeon!!! But with something other than a metal bat!!!"

　As expected of light-hearted Yasu. In my vague memories of this worldline, he should have liked watching dungeon videos and such, so he's probably thinking about it even more than I am.

　After that, I visited Yasu's house and we hashed out a plan for weekend dungeon exploration.