arc03 · 059-ep53

Episode 53: Maybe Look Around a Little More

'You can't put a door on people's mouths,' as they say—well put.

Day two of the long weekend, and I felt the truth of it in my bones.

"Haah…… Well, nothing for it. Time to step up and put a stop to this myself."

Left as is, Sakurai-san looks to be in real danger here. Some pain in the neck has her tangled up, and it's even getting in the way of her work. Other guild staff have stepped in to hold him off, but he doesn't look convinced.

The adventurers around her just watch, annoyed, and none of it is their problem. Sad to say, but that's the world for you.

In front of her: a young five-person party.

Only one of them is kicking up the fuss—the big-built guy. Honestly. Even his own teammates are holding him back; take the hint already.

"Heeeey. I don't know what's got you so worked up, but could you quit crowding Sakurai-san? I'm the youngest C-rank solo adventurer you're looking for. Any complaints, you can take them up with me directly~ And maybe actually look at all the eyes on you~"

"Haaah?"

Everyone there turned to look at me.

The five-person party in front of me, the guild staff who'd been holding him back, the adventurers all around.

And Sakurai-san too.

She was the most startled of anyone. And she looked terribly sorry about the whole thing.

Obviously I know none of it is your fault. Somebody somewhere just let something slip without thinking, I'd wager.

Good grief. I'd like to get to the dungeon sometime today, you know.

Whatever his aim is, I'd like this cleared up quick.

◇

But really—how did things even come to this?

Right up until I got here I was bouncing at the thought of a full day of leveling and cracking Floor 11.

Let me look back over the morning.

Woke up as always, and as always, Mio came over and we ate breakfast together.

Her cooking is still seriously good—my stomach is this close to being won over.

"I gave everything a test run yesterday—【Plunder】 really did get its enhancement. The spider couldn't put out thread or poison anymore, and it panicked. Cracked me up."

"Ooh~, that's great! It makes you safer too, so I'm happy as well."

"Well, I'm not looking to die either. I'll be careful out there."

"Mm-hm, mm-hm."

Just that sort of idle chat.

It supposedly hasn't even been a week since Mio moved in, and I've already gotten completely used to it. Annoys me, somehow.

Anyway, that's beside the point.

After that, at the usual school-run hour, I headed for the dungeon instead. If you're going to savor a day off, dungeon's the place—always the dungeon.

So there I was, strutting in all aflutter over a morning-to-night dungeon binge~, when the commotion at reception leapt straight into my eyes.

Something's brewing over there, I thought, and then————

"There's a guy who just became the youngest C-rank adventurer, right!? That's flat-out a scam! Nobody gets promoted faster than us! Make him fight me!"

—and that's what came floating over, apparently.

Yeah, yeah, I see. One of THOSE types.

I thought that, looked closer—and the one being cornered was Sakurai-san. She was refusing him point-blank, and giving away nothing about me, either.

"That is personal information, and I cannot answer. It would trouble the adventurer in question. If you have no other business, please leave."

So freakin' cool.

Absolutely resolute.

But the man wouldn't lend an ear to a single word, just kept shrieking his fuss.

Even with everyone around him trying to stop him, no less.

And that, more or less, brings us up to the present.

◇

"So you're the fraud, huh. Bet you leeched off some party and swiped the credit. I'll expose you for what you are—so fight me!"

"Wow, rude right out of the gate, honestly. From where I stand, a total stranger just started picking a fight with me out of nowhere—don't I at least get an introduction first?"

"Shut it! Don't care about any of that! Give back the youngest title WE were after!"

"S-sorry! Taishi just says whatever awful thing pops into his head……! Once he catches fire like this, he loses all sight of his surroundings and there's no handling him……"

"Haah…… I don't know your circumstances, but he's a nuisance to everyone here, not just me—you people really need to do something about him."

I did, technically, attempt a proper conversation with this small fry throwing around baseless accusations, but it got absolutely nowhere. One of his party members is apologizing on his behalf, but if you can't actually rein him in, what's the point.

"Well, whatever. Mind if I hear the situation from you folks instead—you seem like the ones a conversation can actually reach? Because 'fight me' out of nowhere doesn't tell me much."

"Th-that's fair. I'm really sorry! I-I'm Natsume Mimi, of 『Braver』. We've, um, been partying together since first year of high school, and we'd always prided ourselves on running the front lines as a high schooler party. This summer, in our third year, we were planning to take the C-rank promotion exam. But yesterday, we heard the rumor that a high schooler C-rank adventurer had been born at this very Akabane Guild…… And as we dug into things, the information that came up was all impossible-sounding, and Taishi-kun got angry, and……"

"Haah. I see? I've got the rough shape of it. So you believe I cheated—got recognized as C-rank with no real ability to back it, right? Is everyone else of the same mind?"

"Sorry. It's not that we doubt the guild—but set against what we've lived through ourselves, we honestly just can't believe it. That's the truth of it."

"Hmmm. Well, no one is required to believe me…… but unless I show my strength, he looks like the persistent sort."

"…………I truly am sorry."

That Taishi character, left out of the loop, kept boring holes into me with his glare the whole while—if I don't make him understand, he's liable to come stalking after me.

Well, I'd figured something like this would happen sooner or later.

Right now I can probably win the guild and the surrounding adventurers to my side, too—a fine opportunity, really.

"Very well. There's nothing in it for me, but I'll indulge you in this 'duel' of yours. Shall we do a mock battle? Or would you rather settle it as a magic-stone-gathering contest on a dungeon dive?"

"Ain't our place to say…… but you sure about this?"

"Perfectly sure. It's not as if I'll lose."

"Th-that's some confidence…… Could he actually be the real thing……?"

'Real thing' or not, you're the ones who decided to doubt me out of nowhere. Five of you and still not C-rank—at that level of ability, there's no way I lose.

"Good, you said it! Everyone here is my witness! Training room—one-on-one mock battle, you and me! If you lose to me, you're definitely no C-rank material! Time to peel that disguise right off!"

Somewhere inside this guy's head, I've apparently become a con artist of the very worst kind.

Haah. Annoying. Let's flatten him fast and get on with the dungeon.