c1-c20 · 005-ch5

Chapter 5: The Uncle and What Happened After

"Phew..."

『The Blood Ogre's reaction has completely disappeared! Good work, Shibasaki-san!』

"Yeah, thanks. It's all thanks to Maika-chan's support."

『More importantly, I really gotta pee right now so I'm gonna step away for a bit!』

"More importantly... okay, I'll handle the rescued people in the meantime, so while you're..."

『Roger that, I'm going!』

She must've been at her limit, because Maika-chan stood up and left before even hearing my response. What a stormy child, really. It's good that she's not shy, though.

"Hey, are you okay? Your name... wait, not your name. Can you tell me your explorer name?"

After confirming the threat had completely vanished, I once again extended a hand to the girl sitting before me. The girl, whose tension had finally begun to ease, awkwardly took my hand and stood up.

When I happened to look at her face, I noticed mysterious characters floating near her face. That device on her head must be projecting them. The latest headgear, maybe? I'm not really familiar with that kind of stuff. Well, since I don't get it, I'll just ignore it.

The girl opened her mouth timidly, her face still stiff.

"Um, it's Negomin."

"Negomin-san, huh...?"

"Is something wrong?"

"No, it's nothing..."

For some reason, it feels like I've heard that name somewhere before, but when did I hear it...? Oh well, never mind for now.

"Um, thank you so much for saving me."

"It's nothing, really! It's my job! Are you okay, Negomin-san? Are you hurt anywhere?"

"Ah, I'm fine.... Ow!"

She winced in pain, clutching her arm. Did she get hit once before I arrived, or maybe she failed to dodge and slammed into the ground? Now that the battle was over and she'd let her guard down, the pain must have finally caught up with her.

"Ah, looking at it, it seems like a light bruise. Sorry, I can't use healing magic. I have some pain relief patches though, so put this on."

I handed Negomin-san a few of the pain relief patches I always keep in my back pocket. But she seemed hesitant to take them.

"It's really fine. If I see a healer, I'll be fine right away."

"No good. Healing magic isn't all-powerful. Doing even this much basic first aid can make a huge difference in recovery. Here, hold out your arm."

"Ah, thank you very much."

I forcibly applied the pain relief patch to Negomin-san's arm. And then I realized something after putting it on.

Wait, could this count as sexual harassment...? Crap, I've been told by Maika-chan lately to be careful how I interact with younger women, what with all the strict rules these days...!"

"? Is something wrong?"

"A-anyway! You should head back right away. The physical injuries might be shallow, but you're mentally exhausted."

"...I understand, I'll head back right away."

Negomin-san listened to me and obediently took out a life cord from the bag at her waist. It seems she didn't really mind what I just did. Thank goodness....

"Well then, I'm heading off now. Oh, and since what happened today was pretty rare, if you feel up for it, don't let this discourage you from diving into the dungeon again, okay?"

"Um, before that, your name...!"

"My name? Hmm, I'm just a humble cleaner, so I don't really have a name worth mentioning. Well then, take care, Negomin-san."

Saying that, I left the place.

When leaving situations like this, I try to leave in a way that doesn't leave much of an impression. Rescue in crisis situations doesn't happen every time. That's why, if someone I've saved once finds themselves in the same situation again and relies on luck because they remember me, the rescue would be meaningless.

Someone once told me that the thing people remember most about others is their name. That's why I try not to give my name whenever possible.

Besides, I had a reason I needed to leave quickly right now.

"Yeah, alright. I can still keep going."

As I ran, I checked the current time on my watch.

That's right, I still have work that needs to be finished by today.

It's exactly 5:00 PM now. If I go at full speed from here, I should be able to finish by 7:00, no, even by 6:00!

As I thought this while running, Maika-chan must have returned, because I heard the sound of chairs being moved noisily from the other side of the incam.

『I'm back, Shibasaki-san. The Management Bureau sent us another request.』

"...Yes,"

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Thank you for reading this far. The uncle's unintentionally overpowered story will only accelerate from here, so please look forward to it.

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