arc1 · 002-ch2

Chapter 2: The Yakiniku Shop's Oath

A few days after resigning from the company, on Friday night.

Feeling a bit nervous before our long-awaited reunion, I got off at our meeting station and went through the ticket gate.

Two men who had been talking cheerfully by the wall right outside the gate looked over at me.

"Ohh, here he comes. Futa! Over here, over here!"

Saying that, a chubby guy with a heavy-set build raised his small hand to signal.

This man with somewhat long, slightly unkempt-looking hair is Kawabe Kento.

A precious otaku friend from the same high school who I still hang out with.

"Sorry, I'm a bit late."

"Don't worry about it. It's not time yet. We were just a bit early."

Nodding that it's fine at my apology is Ina Tomo.

Unlike Kawabe, he has a cleaner impression, but he's so thin that calling him smart would be wrong――an unhealthy-looking glasses-wearing guy who makes the person watching him feel anxious.

He too, like Kawabe, is an otaku comrade I met in high school.

These two, with their completely contrasting personalities, are my few friends.

It was a reunion after a long time, but I felt a bit relieved that neither of them seemed to have changed.

While chatting about nothing in particular, the three of us entered the nearby yakiniku restaurant we had reserved.

We ordered meat and drinks appropriately, made a toast, and started updating each other on our current situation.

"Well, even though it's our drinking party after a long time, you know, it doesn't really feel like it's been that long."

"Yeah. That's just because we haven't met in person; we were having online drinking sessions and such."

I nodded involuntarily at their remarks.

With that infectious disease that spread worldwide before dungeons appeared as a trigger, actually meeting like this became rare.

Even so, when invited, we did show our faces regularly across the internet. Talking with carefree friends is fun, and having few otaku comrades is precious.

Also, it's because these are the only friends I have.... Let's stop thinking deeply. Friends aren't about numbers. It's about bond depth, bond depth. I don't want to get hurt for no reason.

"So Kawabe, how have you been lately? You said before that you were finally starting to be able to work freely and it was getting fun, right?"

Unlike me or Ina who just enjoy content, Kawabe wanted to be on the creating side, so after graduating high school he attended a vocational school for game production.

And after graduating, he got a job as a game designer at a company that, while not large, had been operating for quite a long time. I don't know the details, but he was scoffing that it was just work of adding effects here and there to illustrations, adding music, and making it into video.

"Fuhaha. Actually, I worked hard after that, and I became a team leader."

"For real? That's amazing isn't it?"

"Hmm, that really is amazing."

Voices of admiration leaked from me and Ina.

He should have said before that from being made to work for a long time by a senior who was skilled with his mouth but had no actual ability, he became a veteran and was entrusted with work alone, and finally got liberated from shit.

From there, without much time passing, suddenly becoming a leader is seriously amazing, isn't it?

"Fuh, fuh fuhufu! ...Well, the leader went missing, so I just got stuck with what was left. And now, in present progressive tense, I'm realizing the reason for the disappearance."

"Ah, ah. Is that so?"

"I see. So it's that kind of thing. I've heard that story often, yeah."

Seems like he was putting on fake cheerfulness.

Kawabe floated a cynical smile and brought his beer to his lips.

Neither me nor Ina could comfort him clumsily because it was too pathetic.

"So Ina, how are you? Anything changed?"

After graduating university, without anything he particularly wanted to do and with decent grades, Ina was hired as university staff.

He said that basically he can leave on time, can work comfortably in a familiar place, and it's good.

"Mostly unchanged. Both treatment and salary. While doing fixed administrative work and odd jobs every month, occasionally dealing with crazy complainers, and sometimes working overtime because documents have late submission deadlines, that's about it."

"Oh, ooh. That's a different kind of hardship from Kawabe's."

I think some complainers are seriously messed up.

I have experience too, but they seriously can't have a reasonable conversation. I genuinely get confused about whether we're speaking the same language.

"No, rather I'm so used to it I enjoy seeing what claims they'll make. Insane people easily go off predictions, so honestly it's interesting."

"You're amazing, man."

He looks like a calm glasses character, but as expected this guy's insides are blown.

To be clear, among us, this guy is the scariest.

"More than that, I get angry at colleagues who don't keep deadlines. They submit it later saying "this much is done right away, isn't it?" It's not like that. Because of that, I end up having to work overtime. Or rather, apologize first."

"More than complainers? That side. Are you okay? You're not building up stress, are you?"

"I'm okay. Whether it's complainers or colleagues, I'm immediately stomping on their faces inside my head if they do something disrespectful. My heart is always calm."

"That's not okay at all..."

He's doing that "schari" thing and coolly adjusting his glasses, but that's already savage thinking, you know. He could actually do it anytime and it wouldn't be strange. Even though he's so weak he'd certainly get beaten if he took action.

"So how about you? It's rare for you to invite us for a drink. Was there something you wanted to talk about?"

"Ah. I thought that too. So, what's actually going on?"

With a seemingly indifferent attitude, the two look at me.

Probably to make it easier to talk, he's deliberately creating this kind of atmosphere.

It's hard to say, so that consideration is appreciated. I'll report it in this flow.

"Ah~, actually I quit my job last month."

"...Really? I see."

"Hmm. Did you get fired? Or did you yourself?"

"Voluntary resignation."

Is that so, Kawabe quietly drinks his alcohol while looking up at the ceiling.

Ina folds his arms and lowers his gaze as if in thought.

In the subtle tension, I continued.

"And the reason for quitting. I'm thinking of becoming an explorer. Actually I wanted to do that earlier, but thinking about various things, I thought now is the most――"

"Wait."

Kawabe reached out his hand and stopped me.

Then he pointed at me and continued.

"You admired explorers but didn't have the courage to jump into a situation where you might die. So, had you given up on becoming an explorer from the very beginning?"

"Oh? Oh, ooh. I understand we――"

"But now it's different. Of course it's still dangerous, but now that sufficient information has come out, we can do dungeon exploration while ensuring minimum safety."

This time Ina continued that, and exchanged glances with Kawabe.

"We can't become heroes who get praised by society as front-line strategy groups. Compared to them, we can't get huge amounts of money that we can't use. But――"

"As enjoy-seekers who value life and seek decent earnings, now is actually the best. In other words――"

"If I (we) were to quit my (our) job, now is the only time!"

The two pointed at each other and declared that.

Or rather, wait. Could this be――!?

"You guys, possibly? Seriously?"

"It means everyone's thinking the same thing."

"Hmm. To think the three of us would do the same thing without consulting each other. There's nothing to do but laugh."

The three of us looked at each other and laughed involuntarily.

Seriously. Did these guys really quit their jobs too?

No, wait a bit.

"Then why did you say things like you're still working?"

"No, saying I'm quitting to become an explorer is embarrassing, you know. Look, even in online drinking sessions, we were saying things like it looks interesting but risking your life at this age is too much, you know. We were acting like sensible people."

"I also had that cross my mind. I was planning to time it saying actually――if it seemed like an atmosphere where I could say it. I didn't think there would be an idiot who would boldly say it out loud. Saved me."

"Oh, what's that, you. Want to fight? I'll buy it for you?"

Saying whatever he wants. Or rather, if these guys hadn't quit their jobs themselves, would they have been looking at me like that? That's the worst.

...No, I'd probably look down on them inside too. After all, we're similar types.

"But Kawabe. You just said you became a team leader, right?"

"Ah, that's right. And that became the decisive reason for quitting."

Bitterly, Kawabe continues.

"A senior who doesn't listen to what I as the leader say at all because I'm a junior. A junior who doesn't do what they're told saying they don't want to and starts doing whatever they want. An idiot who pretends to be a craftsman and quit just because I gave a slight correction instruction. And an incompetent producer who ignores their work attitude and pushes all responsibility onto me. When I thought about why I, who am working seriously, have to get scolded for these garbage scum, I couldn't take it anymore..."

"Oh, ooh. Is that so."

You must have built up a lot of frustration, you.

I recall the director's story from just the other day. When you stand in a managerial position, you inevitably face that kind of thing.

"Honestly, I was anxious about whether I could go into a dungeon at this age, but I didn't want to work for such garbage scum, so I decided to challenge myself saying well then... Besides, we still want jobs and skills, right?"

"Yeah! We really want them, don't we!"

As expected, that's it!

If you're an otaku, you definitely want them, don't you!

"Unlike Kawabe, I had no dissatisfaction with the job content, but I was thinking if only the salary would go up a bit more. Since I can live my life, I've been dragging along by inertia until now, but I was starting to feel the need for a job change. I was interested in explorers too, so I continued gathering information... but you know the level and income of current explorers, right?"

Both me and Kawabe nodded. And I understood what Ina wanted to say too.

According to the official announcement from the Explorer Association, currently the top layer is about over level thirty. And those people have annual income in the hundreds of millions.

We don't think we can go that far, but escaping beginner status called going over level ten. Just going to that area, it becomes income close to ten million.

"Even though the purchase of materials has settled down, it still means there's that much demand, right?"

"Just escaping beginners exceeds the average annual income of a company employee, that's crazy. No wonder explorers don't decrease."

"However, there are also many who learn the reality and get discouraged, so in reality they don't increase that much, apparently. Honestly, the income is attractive but I hesitated until the very end. But――finally one appeared, didn't it!?"

Ina, who hadn't broken his calm attitude until now, said with his eyes wide open.

"Elf! It's an elf! Then there's no choice but to go! To the dungeon!"

"Ah~. 'Moriyama-san' is it. Is that so. Yeah, you're like that."

"I understand the feeling painfully well. If I were in your position, I'd probably become like that too."

Me and Kawabe look at the excited Ina with warm eyes.

Yes, this is probably the biggest news in recent dungeon circumstances.

If monsters exist, wouldn't other races like elves and beastkin exist too?

In a natural flow, such opinions had been coming out from the early days. With the aim of such romantic encounters (especially single men), dungeon exploration had progressed, but such existences were not found at all.

There was even a ridiculous story about meeting a succubus, which is a monster not an other race, trying to communicate, and almost getting killed.

Just when everyone was starting to think perhaps other races don't exist――about four months ago, the long-awaited other race was finally found!

That was Japan's top-tier explorer――Moriyama Rinka.

As a result of continuing to clear the front lines, the heroine who achieved 【Race Evolution】 from human to elf.

With a real name that wouldn't be strange even as an elf and a gentle temperament, she's a person who is popular online and called Mori-san or Moriyama-san.

While grilling meat, I recall the surprise when I learned about that back then.

"I was seriously scared when I saw that news. It was the first time I couldn't take my eyes off a real beauty on TV. I thought there was someone who suited the word 'beautiful' so much."

"If you think about it game-wise, it was a story that could quite possibly happen, but there was no one who seriously believed it, right. Actually, one can't even imagine not being human anymore."

As Kawabe says.

Because it literally changes you from yourself until now. It's completely different from level, job, and skill.

"But, elves and beastkin are no longer fantasy. Then one goes to the dungeon seeking a wife, right!?"

"Be quiet. It's embarrassing."

"We're at the same table, I can't even pretend to be a stranger."

This is why other-race freaks who have had their dreams become reality are unmanageable.

Or rather, does this guy understand?

"I hate to rain on your parade, but just because you become an explorer, doesn't mean you'll meet your ideal wife, right? It's just a rumor, but I heard Moriyama-san is over level fifty? That means at minimum, you can't race evolve unless you get that strong, right?"

Hearing that the top layer is thirty and being far above that, if you think about it, she's modestly speaking a monster.

"It's telling us to know our place, guys like us. Or are you, intending to get strong enough to aim for race evolution?"

"Oi oi, there's no way someone like me could reach such heights."

"You're seeing reality there, huh."

As expected, he wasn't that stupid. I was relieved.

Kawabe seemed to feel the same way. I could see him breathe a small sigh.

But, betraying that, was Ina.

"I'll just hit it boldly and shatter. Surprisingly, being weak might invite protection desire and work out well. If it's not zero, I'll bet on that!"

"No, look at reality. Your thinking is too low-level."

"Were you a big idiot going down at an angle?"

This guy, if he meets Moriyama-san, he'll probably seriously go confess immediately.

My head hurts. I want to abandon him, but he's a friend....

If it comes to that, I'll stop him, exchanging nods with Kawabe with my eyes.

Anyway, whatever the reasons may be individually.

"All three of us becoming explorers, that means. Is that okay?"

"Well, it's self-evident."

"Finding trusted companions is said to be difficult everywhere. Being able to secure two such companions from the start. This advantage is huge."

The three of us nodded at each other and raised our glasses.

Because our lives are at stake. Priorities. This is the one thing I need to confirm.

So, I say it properly out loud.

"First and foremost, value life."

Kawabe nods and takes over.

"We won't aim to be heroes, won't stand out badly, and will earn moderately at our own pace."

And Ina concludes.

"And――get a other-race wife in these hands."

"That's just you."

"It doesn't stop, does it. But well, fine. Here, cheers."

Clang, touching glasses, laughing stupidly like it's not cool at all.

"To think in our thirties we'd do such a youthful thing."

"No, but because of this guy, there's not a fragment of atmosphere, you know? Our lives are on the line here... it would have been good to say that thing from Romance of the Three Kingdoms. You know, that we were born in the same year, same month, same day thing."

"The Oath of the Peach Garden. But this is a yakiniku restaurant."

"Then the Yakiniku Shop's Oath is fine, right. When we die, we die together, so one more time, cheers!"

Thus, in a loose atmosphere, our party was formed.

I didn't think for a moment it would go up smoothly, but I felt it would be a banquet that suggested we could climb slowly, even if painfully.

And, two weeks after this day.

We who took the beginner training hosted by the Explorer Association and did our first dungeon exploration――

"Sorry Futa. This party is for two people."

"I left Futa behind. He hasn't trained, and honestly he can't keep up with this battle."

"Wait!? Seriously wait!!"

We were already facing the crisis of party collapse.

●

【Exploration Hints! #2】

< Oath of ___ >

Based on the Oath of the Peach Garden from the early part of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, where Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei of Shu swore to become sworn brothers.

Roughly speaking, it's like: even though our birth dates are different, if we're to become sworn brothers, we'll support each other and save people, and when we die, we'll die together.

By the way, it's not historical fact, but creative work based on historical fact.

This time it's the "Yakiniku Shop's Oath," but depending on where it's performed like family restaurants, izakayas, etc., variations arise.

Since dungeons appeared. Drunken reckless fools who are about to become explorers sometimes perform this while intoxicated and getting carried away.

While the people themselves enjoy it as bad joking at a drinking session, from some people's perspective, they become objects looked at with cold eyes thinking, ah, they're becoming explorers.

Even though it's dungeons, guys who try to live by violence, realistically even if one understands they're necessary existences, from high-morality ordinary people who hide in safe zones, they're no different from yakuza. Only the people themselves don't know that.

Incidentally, the oath is almost never kept.