Chapter-04 · EP-061

Episode 61: Showing Off the New Gear

After continuing to fight on the fourth floor, I finally leveled up to level 4, so I decided to end the exploration there and go back.

I went to the item buying station and sold the Magic Gems I'd obtained today. The total came to 4,000 yen. 4,000 yen solo was a new record. But since the buckler cost 7,000 yen, I was still in the red. Calculating calmly, I might be rushing ahead a bit too quickly. For example, if I explored the fourth floor again and earned another 4,000 yen, I could recoup the cost of the buckler.

But I was getting impatient to challenge the fourth-floor boss.

I'd go to the Dungeon Reference Room again later and consult with Meiris about which option was better.

Then came noon, and I met up with Yuno and the others after they finished shopping.

"You three have a ton of luggage…"

"Well, of course. We bought a whole set of exploration gear. We'll show you later."

We stored our luggage in coin lockers and had lunch in the dungeon building's cafeteria. The easy, nutritious meal was very satisfying.

In the afternoon, we were going to explore the second floor to help Yuno and the others level up.

We parted ways for a moment, and when they came out of the changing room in their new gear, their outfits were quite colorful.

Yuno wore a vivid orange jacket and slim cargo pants. She looked active, perfectly matching her energetic vibe. Maika wore a light lavender tunic with a beige cape over it. She looked like a mage. Iori wore a tight suit that looked easy to move in, giving off an air of being no ordinary fighter. Ironically, Iori, who seemed the strongest of the three, was still level 1.

Three people, three styles, each reflecting their personality.

"Well? Cute, aren't we?"

Even though Yuno asked, I didn't know how to answer and was at a loss.

"Are you shy because we're too cute?"

"Absolutely not."

But as we walked together, I felt the gaze of men on us. Yuno and the others really did stand out.

"By the way, Shirou, why are you carrying a pot lid?"

"Huh?"

A pot lid? What was she talking about? I followed Yuno's gaze to my left hand. I lifted my left hand.

Yuno was looking at the buckler in my hand. Then I finally understood what she meant.

"It's not a pot lid! It's a buckler!"

"Hey? That lid's handle is on the wrong side, you know?"

"That's because it's a shield! It's supposed to be like that!"

I noticed Yuno, Maika, and Iori were all snickering. What? Were they making fun of me?

"Don't make me be the straight man!"

"Hehehe, but Shirou, you get genuinely angry."

"I'm not angry!"

Damn, this was frustrating. Maybe I'd shouted too loud; I felt eyes on me from around us. It was even more embarrassing.

Looking around self-consciously, I got the feeling people were staring at Yuno and the others, not me.

Looking around, I saw it was mostly men. Weren't explorers overwhelmingly male? Female explorers were rare, and cute ones like Yuno and the others were even rarer.

"See, when we're with Shirou, we don't get approached as much."

"What do you mean?"

"When we were shopping by ourselves, guys approached us several times."

Maika added to Yuno's explanation.

"That didn't happen in Harajuku last week."

I see. Harajuku had many young women, but places selling explorer gear probably had few women, so they stood out.

Chatting about such things, we entered the dungeon.

"Iori is the only one still level 1, but she can handle a Huge Slime just fine. Okay if we head straight for the second floor?"

"Yeah."

With Iori's agreement, we avoided unnecessary fights and headed straight for the Floor Boss's room.

In front of the boss room, there was the usual line.

"There's a line!"

"City dungeons have a lot of people."

"I see. You know a lot, having come here last week."

I knew Yuno's words were flattery, but it didn't feel bad.

As we waited in line, someone spoke to us.

"Oh? Are you guys challenging the Floor Boss too? It looks like mostly girls. Are you going to be okay?"

They were some flashy-looking guys. Probably aiming to pick up girls. Yuno, who was approached, answered with a clearly annoyed face.

"There's a guy with us, so we'll be fine."

She said that and hid behind me.

The flashy guys stared at me, then spoke to Yuno and the others again.

"You all look pretty young. How old are you? Want to go with us? We're a party of three too, so it's perfect."

What was "perfect"? Were they trying to start a mixer? This was a dungeon. What were they here for?

Yuno looked troubled, so I answered for her.

"Could you not? You're bothering us."

Hearing my words, the flashy guy's expression turned angry.

"Huh? We're just being friendly, and you say we're bothering you? Don't get cocky just because you're with girls, you brat."

This was a pain. If I was a brat, then Yuno and the others, girls the same age, were also brats. Were these guys trying to pick up brats?

As I was thinking about how to answer to make them back off, the flashy guy, seeing me hesitate, got even more aggressive.

"Huh? Got something to say? A brat like you is too young for the Floor Boss! You girls would be safer with us than with some weak-looking guy like him."

He tried to approach Yuno again, so I raised my hand to stop him from getting any closer.

"Huh?"

Annoyed that I was blocking him, the flashy guy glared at me.

Then Yuno came to my rescue.

"Shirou is stronger than you, so we'll be fine."

"Huh? This brat? No way! Hahaha!"

Maika, watching our exchange, looked scared, and Iori was getting irritated, about to snap. I needed to resolve this quickly.

Then the flashy guy asked me, trying to gauge my strength.

"What level are you, anyway? Just hit level 2? Or maybe you're still level 1?"

"No, I'm level 4."

"Huh? Don't lie! No way a brat like you is level 4!"

Deciding my level was a lie, the flashy guy got angry and grabbed my collar.

Even I, usually mild-mannered, squeezed his wrist hard.

"Owowowowowowow!"

The flashy guy overacted in pain. Feeling a bit sorry for him, I let go.

He looked at me for a moment, then muttered something and left.

"…Did those guys even intend to challenge the Floor Boss?"

"Are you okay, Shirou?"

Yuno looked concerned.

"No, I'm fine, but…"

When I explored alone last week, several senior explorers had kindly spoken to me. I thought dungeon explorers were all kind people, but with three cute girls like Yuno and the others, guys like that seemed to show up with the intention of picking them up.

"You three shouldn't come exploring alone."

"We know. That's why we invited you, Shirou."

They seemed to have been properly cautious.

"I'll submit the footage from the dungeon recorder about those flashy guys to the Explorer Guild later."

"Hey, hey, Shirou, you said you were level 4 earlier. When did you get to level 4?"

"While I was exploring the fourth floor after splitting up from you."

"Eh! When? That's not fair!"

"It's not unfair!"

"You really do love dungeon exploration, don't you?"

Yuno sounded exasperated.