ch41-ch60 · 049-ch42

Chapter 42

"Look! The High Elf, Hexaria, has come to conquer Shinjuku Tower today!"

The Adventurer's Guild at Shinjuku Tower.

The area around the changing rooms was livelier than usual.

Was it a TV crew of some kind?

A female reporter and cameraman were lying in wait, ready to capture Hexaria as she emerged from the changing rooms. Beyond them, a swarm of adventurers had gathered at a distance, hoping to catch a glimpse of her.

Amid all that, the first person to come out of the changing room was Sai.

Sai's equipment was the light armor he'd used in the other world — demon-beast leather with magisteel plates grafted on.

It was the same set he'd been using for ages, but every part that had been disguised as Japanese-made had been stripped away by Hexaria's hand.

As a result, to anyone who knew what they were looking at, it looked like rare, unusual armor.

"Whoa! It's Yamana Sensei!"

"Sai's got some gear I've never seen before!"

"Now's not the time to be coming out, man!"

A bunch of gruff voices called out.

They were his former students — the ones he'd taught magic control and the adventurer's mindset to.

He waved toward them, and they cheered back, "Go get 'em, solo!"

Sai apologized in his heart. I've already graduated from solo... sorry.

There were also some jeers (?) from people waiting for a glimpse of Hexaria.

He apologized to them in his heart too. Sorry about that...

Then, Hexaria came out from behind him.

Both arms and legs were equipped with vambraces and greaves of armor. Both were made of magisteel, but they were loaded with a massive number of enchantment formulas that Hexaria had personally prepared.

Her chest area, by contrast, was simple.

The moment she appeared, a tremendous roar of cheers erupted.

"Kyaaa—! It's Hexaria!"

"Whooaa, she's seriously gorgeous! Seriously an elf!"

"The real deal—!"

"Those ears are so loooong!"

"Marry me!"

Hexaria was a little surprised by the people watching her from a fixed distance without coming closer.

She'd thought they'd press in more, but they were keeping a certain distance.

Surprised as she was, she switched gears instantly.

In truth, Hexaria was a woman of noble standing.

Paying no mind to the cheers of the common folk, she made her way to Sai's side.

Seeing this movement, the crowd buzzed.

"Why are Sai and Hexaria...!"

"I believed he was a party virgin!"

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa! Don't tell me they're going in together!?"

"Hey old man! Trade places with me—!"

Those kinds of shouts rang out.

"Hmph. The moment I stood beside you, the common rabble started kicking up a fuss."

"It's probably because I'm the guy known for soloing, and I'm suddenly with Saria. They're shocked."

Hexaria's existence had been revealed to the world, but that was only about her as an individual.

Sai's reputation as an adventurer was "a highly skilled solo adventurer who'd reached the eighteenth floor," and his relationship with Hexaria hadn't been made public by the media.

Some mass media outlets had already stormed Sai's home, but all of them had been driven off — so the relationship between Hexaria and Sai wasn't widely known.

When he explained the situation, Hexaria seemed to understand.

"I see. So that's how it is."

She nodded.

"And that thing over there — that's a camera, isn't it? Why are they here?"

"That's a TV crew. I don't think they're here to interview Saria specifically, though..."

According to what he heard later, that TV crew had apparently just happened to be at Shinjuku Tower for a shoot.

"Hmm." Hexaria pondered.

More than a month had passed since Hexaria arrived.

More than two weeks had passed since the meeting at the Ichijō residence.

The information about a High Elf from another world had spread like wildfire.

People claiming to be mass media were sniffing around Sai's neighborhood.

Of course, countermeasures had already been put in place for Sai's family and other related parties, but they were still a nuisance.

"Excuse me. Would you mind giving us a quick comment?"

"…………"

Bad timing — the female TV announcer approached Hexaria.

Hexaria disliked people.

Especially people who pushed in and interfered with her like this.

And Sai knew that well.

"Sure. I'll do my best out there."

With that, Sai grabbed Hexaria's arm and pulled her away from the TV crew.

"...What are you doing?"

"Saria, what were you about to do?"

"Just tell them to stay away."

Hexaria herself didn't say it, but she'd been considering suppressing them with her charm ability.

Having spent twenty years together, Sai knew what she was planning.

But using that ability in a place like Shinjuku Tower, packed with adventurers, was dangerous.

An announcer whose attitude suddenly changed due to charm would surely cause fear.

Right now, Hexaria's existence was being received with goodwill.

But if people saw that charm ability and their goodwill reversed — that would be terrifying.

A scout who feared trouble was putting his crisis-avoidance skills to full use even outside the dungeon.

"Nah, that's still pretty mild. Save it for now."

"Mmph."

And when Sai said it like that, it really meant "you'd better stop."

Hexaria knew this well enough, so she obediently complied.

The two of them walked side by side toward Shinjuku Tower.

Behind them, adventurers followed like ducklings trailing their mother.

The adventurers were chattering: "Hexaria's challenging it for the first time today, right?" "How far do you think she'll get?" "Should we secretly follow?" "Why's Sai with her?" "He's solo, so maybe it's just a coincidence?" "Nah, they were talking — that's not possible."

"Would it be bad to use it on the ones following us?"

"You're a visitor from another world and a High Elf — of course everyone wants a look."

"Honestly, it's the same both here and there."

"Yeah, it is."

"Heh heh, but you know. Seems like some of them are cheering for you."

"That's probably because I'm doing the same thing here as I did over there."

"Heh heh heh. You haven't changed a bit."

The two of them never changed whether they were in the other world or Japan.

They presented their adventurer licenses at the entrance.

The receptionist's face flushed as she said, "G-Go on in!" and gave them entry.

Led by Sai, Hexaria entered Shinjuku Tower.

Following them, several adventurer parties entered behind them.

These were the kind of people who planned on following Sai and Hexaria, hoping to get a chance to talk to them inside the dungeon.

Shinjuku Tower, floor 1.

Even though it was inside the dungeon, the first floor had plenty of adventurers, so it was perfectly peaceful.

Sai and Hexaria ignored the people behind them and continued their conversation.

"So, Saria. You remember the map up to floor 5?"

"Who do you think you're asking?"

"Hey, I'm higher rank, so I'll be following from behind for a while."

"Since when does a scout follow from behind?"

"If I take point, people will think Saria cheated."

"In other words, you want me to show my real ability. In this mana-poor place."

"Hah. You think someone like you can afford to whine about a dungeon this easy?"

They laughed together.

It was the same banter they'd had since they first met.

"So this 'Tower Tube' thing — you activate it here, don't you?"

"That's right. Alright, starting the stream now. Today I'll be conquering the tower together with Hexaria."

Ignoring the stir behind them from the adventurers following, Sai spoke.

"Don't fall behind because you're distracted by the stream."

"Don't talk nonsense."

Surrounding Sai and Hexaria were a large crowd of adventurers.

Behind them, adventurers hoping to see Hexaria in person.

Ahead of them, adventurers who happened to be there and were stunned by the High Elf's presence.

Then, a gust of wind passed through, and the two of them suddenly vanished.

From here on, it was adventure time.

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Thank you for reading.