c41-c60 · 046-ch46

Chapter 46: A Wonderful Companion POV: Negomin

The day after that turbulent day had passed, I found myself at Shinjuku Dungeon once again. The first-floor plaza was even more crowded than yesterday, making me realize all over again just how powerful information trends and their spread can be.

If I streamed today, I'd probably get a ton of viewers again, but I lost the handheld camera I'd been using, and the microphone on my headset is broken and needs to be sent for repairs... so I guess I'll take a day off this time.

That was the plan, anyway. I had wanted to just relax at home all day today, but...

"Sigh..."

I pull my disguise hat deeper over my head and exhale. Being in the middle of a crowd makes me feel like the surrounding CO2 concentration is rising, making it hard to breathe. But more than anything, I knew the reason why I couldn't cheer up.

['Just for tomorrow, let me stay in your shadow, Negomin']

Those words Mirara had said to me yesterday on my way home. She really hadn't asked for anything more beyond that, disappearing from before my eyes.

If I take her words literally, there shouldn't be any problem if I just stay at home for a day... but having a stranger lurking inside my house feels like seeing a black bug crawling into a gap in the dresser—it's bad for my mental health. If I just sat around at home, I felt like I'd go crazy, which is why I'm here in this crowded dungeon. Thanks to that, the anxiety swirling inside me has eased up a bit. Though really, just a bit.

Mirara still isn't in my shadow... I hope time passes without her showing up like this.

I stare at the clock installed near the entrance application area, but I can't help but feel like the ticking hands are gradually slowing down. Each minute, each second feels so long. No good, I need to distract myself with something.

I take out my smartphone and turn it on. Then I notice the number of notifications in my mailbox has exceeded the limit. There were already tons yesterday, but I'd been intentionally ignoring them because of the whole Stained Hawk incident. I do feel bad about including them in the stream without permission, but if I got a lawsuit notice at a time like this, my heart would stop.

...I'll check the emails later when I'm more composed.

I just blankly stare at my screen, but in this spaced-out state, there's no way I'd think of anything to do. Just as I'm about to put it away, my smartphone suddenly vibrates.

I look at the screen—a notification that one message has arrived. The sender is—

"—Huh, Sister Rose-san!?"

◇◇◇

"Good morning, Negomin-san"

"G-Good morning"

I'm in the S-rank special waiting room, located in the same section as the S-rank special return room. I thought I'd never walk down that long hallway again, and yet here I am back just one day later. Sister Rose-san, sitting on the sofa before me, is elegantly drinking tea from a paper cup.

"So, what was it you wanted to ask me to do...?"

"A-Ah, I apologize. I ended up relaxing too much"

The message I received from Sister Rose-san earlier had said she wanted to ask me something and requested that I come to the waiting room. And since she sent it as a long message decorated with beautiful wording that also included her thoughts from yesterday, it took quite some time for a commoner like me to decipher.

Sister Rose-san placed the paper cup on the table and cleared her throat with a cute gesture.

"What I'd like to ask of you is nothing special. I was hoping you could guide me through Shinjuku Dungeon, Negomin-san"

"A guide, you say?"

This is a reasonable request, unlike some people I know. But because of that, there's something I don't understand.

"...Um, why me? I would think you'd have better connections than me, Sister Rose-san..."

"That's... not actually the case."

With a light puff, Sister Rose-san laughed self-deprecatingly.

"People call me S-rank, but I'm just someone with a high rank. Unlike the other S-ranks, I haven't accumulated the appropriate experience, nor do I have many connections with people... Excluding my healing magic, I'm no different from a rookie explorer."

There was something I could relate to in Sister Rose-san's words. Ever since the news about her becoming the fastest to reach S-rank, I haven't heard much about Sister Rose-san's achievements. When I do hear about her, it's about the Barrier Sister rescuing people in distress—I've heard nothing at all about her being involved in dungeon conquest.

Come to think of it, I didn't have any decent connections in my second year as an explorer either. I thought she was in a charity organization like the Barrier Sister that had nothing to do with exploring because of her compassionate nature, but maybe she's in it because she wanted to build up her own kind of experience.

"I see..."

"I watch your streams from time to time, Negomin-san. Since you've challenged Shinjuku Dungeon many times, I thought you'd have a wealth of knowledge... That, um, would that be a problem?"

"No! If someone like me is good enough, I'd be happy to!"

Before I knew it, I had grabbed Sister Rose-san's hand. I didn't have a single self-serving thought like trying to get close to an S-rank—I purely wanted to help this person.

When I firmly gripped Sister Rose-san's hand, her face brightened up.

"A-Ah, thank you so much, Negomin-san...!"

"Please don't be so formal. We're friends who chatted yesterday, aren't we?"

"Fufu, that's right. In that case, I'll submit the entrance application right away. When would you like to depart? If we go now, it might be crowded, so perhaps a little later..."

"No, let's go right now. Let's go right now, come on, let's go!"

"E-Eh?"

Once decided, immediate action. Now, while that Mirara person isn't in my shadow is my chance. If we dive into the dungeon before she can get into my shadow, she probably won't find us easily. Besides, I don't want to let that person get close to someone this pure.

I pulled Sister Rose-san's hand firmly, making her stand up from the sofa.

"Well then, shall we go? Let's go, oh!"

"O-oh!"