arc03 · 051-ep45

Episode 45: Perfect Communication

"If you're both about to head home, just wait a moment and I'll drive you there."

Sakurai-san, apparently done with her reception work for the day, made the offer.

Me, I could take it or leave it—but it'd clearly do Aizawa good, so I decided to accept the kind offer.

That said—didn't know Sakurai-san drove herself to work.

Well, guild staff circumstances are a total mystery to me, but she'd apparently worked overtime again today—maybe she plans around late nights. Something about her really does scream 'a woman who gets things done.' The glasses suit her, too.

"S-Sakurai-san is so pretty, and so composed—she really is the very picture of a grown woman... Nothing like me......"

"Well, she is an adult. I get what you're saying, more or less, but there's no need to compare. Aizawa's got plenty of good points of her own, you know."

"H-huh?"

"Like how you're such a hard worker, or that small-dog cuteness. That's your charm, Aizawa."

"…………Auu…"

She's always struck me as the trembling, fussing, tail-wagging type, you know? A small dog to the letter. Might be her height that adds to it. And seeing her red-faced and flustered right now—she's surprisingly expressive, honestly. Bit of a waste that her bangs hide her eyes, though.

"Oh, right. Let me hand you the materials before Sakurai-san gets back. The mystery materials off Floor 11—they're all jarred up."

"Ah, um, yes! Th-thank you! I'll go put them in my locker!"

"Don't trip while you run~"

"Okaaay!"

Off Aizawa hurries, back toward the production guild.

Getting praised out of nowhere probably left her all flustered. She was red as anything.

Both of them gone—I'll kill the time staring at my phone for a bit.

Wait—Mio has absolutely flooded my chat……

『Glad the bento hit the spot! I'll just keep making them from tomorrow, 'kay?』

『Takeru, got any favorite foods? If there's something you want in there, just say the word』

『Hmm, I've been looking for Plunder holders on the anonymous boards, and they all seem pretty fed up』

『Takeru, are you in the dungeon right now? Good luck~』

『Isn't it, like, late? Are you okay? You haven't gotten caught up in some incident or anything?』

『The date's about to change! Are you really okay? If you're safe, please answer me』

『Hey』

『Still nothing?』

『Don't leave me alone』

『Hey, come on』

S-scary………….

Huh? Is this girl my girlfriend or something……?

Can I actually pull off coexisting with her? But I want her cooperation with 【Plunder】, and above all, we're both carrying secrets. If I ever cast her out, she could blab everything real and made-up all over the place—now that would be a problem. Guess I've just got to manage this smoothly somehow. It's not like I dislike her or anything……

『I'm safe, so quit worrying. Just got out of the dungeon. Heading home now』

『Oh, thank goodness…… Don't make me worry like that』

『Should've said so beforehand. I'm usually diving about this long, so I'm always home late』

『I see…… If only phones got signal inside the dungeon too』

『I think so too, but it's impossible for now—so feel free to go invent something that fixes that』

『That is one unreasonaaable request~』

『Well then, that's that. Don't stay up too late. Apparently it's the sworn enemy of beauty. Night』

『Okaaay~ night night~』

There.

Perfect communication!

So why are my palms sweating like this, though.

I'm more tense than I ever am inside the dungeon. Everyday life is terrifying.

◇

"Thank you for waiting. And—where might Aizawa-san be?"

"Ah, I handed her the materials from earlier, so she's off stowing them in her locker."

"I see. Then she'll be back in no time."

"Any minute, probably. Say—now that I think of it, this is actually our first time talking outside your work hours. Once again—thank you for everything, really."

"Not at all. There's only so much a mere receptionist like me can do. Quite a few adventurers lord it over us, so if anything, I should be thanking you. Thank you."

Guild staff have their own share of struggles, then. Sounds like plenty of headaches.

"Oh, that reminds me—you called yourself my dedicated contact earlier. What's that about, exactly?"

"Officially, the system reserves it for B-rank solos and above—a personal consultant, in principle. You're a C-rank solo, Takeru-san, but my superiors sounded me out about the post on the strength of your potential. I hadn't given my answer yet, but I fully intended to accept, so I jumped the gun a little earlier."

"I see?"

So they do have things like that. B-rank and up are supposedly first-class pros—dedicated contacts and other VIP-style perks make sense at that level. Still, I never imagined that treatment would land on me this soon.

"What does it actually let you do, specifically?"

"Let's see... priority reception is one part, but beyond that—we can source rare items here and lend them out, advise on anything and everything concerning exploration, arrange parties for you, or, conversely, handle negotiations with other adventurers on your behalf."

"Huh... I figured the guild's policy was basically hands-off, but at the upper ranks it really does open up."

"Indeed... the higher your rank, the greater your contribution to society—it's on another level entirely."

"So at this stage they're already banking on me making the upper ranks. Isn't that fast?"

"I'd say it's safe to call it an exceptional pace. There have been similar cases in the past, of course... but it's a story you rarely hear these days."

Crap—somewhere along the way, the guild started expecting a LOT from me.

Nobody ever said a thing, so I'd been doing my own thing pretty freely—but were they quietly lending me all kinds of support this whole time?

Hold on—could they... have found out about my 【Plunder】?

Hmm. For now I'll keep up the clueless act—and deal with it if someone actually brings it up.

◇

Aizawa came back, so the three of us ended up riding home together in Sakurai-san's car.

Sakurai-san's car was an adorable little kei car in pastel colors. Does she like cute things? Kind of an unexpected side of her.

"Um, c-can I take the front seat?"

"Of course. Do buckle up properly, both of you."

"Okay!"

"Roger. ...Alright, all good."

"Then let's be off. First—Aizawa-san, could you tell me roughly where to head?"

"Um————"

And so the three of us—a truly unlikely bunch—headed out on a midnight drive.