arc2 · 021-ch21

Episode 21: Tomorrow It Could Be Me

　With Yasu's withdrawal, Suzuka's future plans had to be significantly changed.

　I can't believe exam prep would get in the way... And we were getting so pumped up too. Is this how it feels when band members break up?

　Yasu's withdrawal hurts, but that doesn't mean Suzuka will stop exploring the dungeon. Starting tomorrow is finally summer break. Wanting to set a goal for how far he can go, Suzuka was devising a plan in his room.

"Suzuka! Come downstairs, I need to talk to you!"

　Just then, he got called by his mom.

　Wondering what this was about, he went downstairs and found his mom and dad sitting at the table. That scene overlapped with the day he first explored the dungeon.

　He had a bad feeling about this. Thinking that, Suzuka obediently took a seat.

"Suzuka. I heard from Yasu's mother. Yasu is going to summer cram school, apparently."

　Saying that, his mom brought out several pamphlets. They were all flyers about cram schools and private tutors offering summer courses. The bad feeling turned into certainty.

"You've got good grades too, so you should attend summer cram school along with Yasu. Yasu is going to this cram school, apparently."

　Saying that, the explanations continued—about the instructors, about the high schools last year's graduates got into, even though he hadn't asked anything. Suzuka couldn't stand that scene.

　If I had really been a third-year middle schooler, I would've just dismissed Mom's behavior as annoying. Like, I'm doing something praiseworthy with dungeon exploration, so stop getting in the way.

　But when you're a 30-year-old middle-aged man, you understand. Both Mom and Dad are just worried about me. They want me to stop doing things with a risk of death and live a normal life.

　He was grateful to such a mom and dad. That's why Suzuka had to say it. He had to decide about his own life himself.

"I'm not planning to go to summer cram school. During summer break, I'm planning to advance dungeon exploration."

"What are you saying, that's ridiculous. Even Explorer High School has entrance exams, you know."

"That's right, Suzuka. Even the top-rank explorers today are graduates of Explorer High School. There's no need to rush into the dungeon right now."

　His dad backed up Mom too. But that's not it. That's not it, both of you.

　Going to Explorer High School might be one option. But I want to treasure this impulse to explore the dungeon right now. My intuition is screaming at me to go all in on this.

　Whether it's because his status went up or his level went up, Suzuka didn't know, but his intuition was getting sharper and sharper. Intuition points to the best choice from complex information that can't be put into words. The only thing he was certain of was that not following this intuition now would lead to a lifetime of regret.

　But he understood their worry too. That's exactly because he was a middle-aged man—he couldn't coldly brush off those feelings.

"I'm not thinking I need to get stronger immediately or anything like that, and I'm not rushing either. But, I want to explore the dungeon. If I don't do it now, I'll regret it for the rest of my life. That's the only thing I'm certain of, and I don't want to carry that kind of regret."

　The two didn't interrupt my words and listened quietly.

"So, I'm not going to summer cram school. But, I will do exam prep. Like you two said, there's still time until the entrance exams and I don't know what lies ahead. So first I'll do exam prep, and once studying is no longer an issue, I'll work hard on dungeon exploration. Is that okay?"

　Fundamentally, this doesn't solve the issue of them not wanting me to go to the dungeon at all, but I can't back down either. I'm a middle-aged man who's made it through university entrance exams too. High school entrance exams are no big deal—especially for current me with my raised intelligence, it probably won't take much effort.

　Mom and Dad looked at each other and made faces like they'd given up.

"Haa, you've suddenly become so mature since you started going to the dungeon."

"That's true, Mom. It means Suzuka has become an adult too."

　He felt a twinge of guilt, but they were attributing it to the dungeon. Thank you, Dungeon-sama.

"I got it. I won't stop you anymore. But, you have to study properly, okay."

"I know. I'll work hard at both."

　Saying that, Suzuka went back to his room.