ch41-ch60 · 046-ch45

Chapter 45

"...Why is the Kujo heiress streaming with that cleaner...?"

Soma Kengo said, tracing the brim of his hunting cap with his fingertip, but Kawai Sakiho noticed that the overwhelming sense of power he'd exuded until moments ago had faltered, just slightly.

It was like — he was normally surprised.

Well, of course. Why on earth, the day after a Dungeon Rampage had occurred and been suppressed, would the person who suppressed it be doing an exploration stream in that same dungeon with the Kujo zaibatsu's heiress? It made no sense to Sakiho either, and probably no sense to anyone.

"Um, sorry for my ignorance, but who is this Kujo ojou-sama...?"

Sadoyama raised his hand hesitantly.

Sakiho was genuinely surprised that a former A-rank explorer didn't know about the Kujo zaibatsu's heiress, but at the same time, she thought it was just like Sadoyama.

What kind of explorer had he been?

She knew he'd been in the same explorer clan as Anthem manager Hamamatsu Nanami, but of course Sakiho didn't know about their past.

"Senpai... I've told you about this several times while you were still active. You know the explorer equipment manufacturer NINELINE? The parent company is the Kujo zaibatsu, and the one doing the exploration stream with Hayasaka-san is their heiress."

"Huh. Why would such an ojou-sama be streaming with Hayasaka-kun?"

"How would I know. Ilseria, you were at Hayasaka-san's home until this morning, weren't you? Did he seem to be in contact with the Kujo heiress...?"

"No, there was no sign of that."

"White."

"Shut up, gloomy woman. Don't judge every word people say as black or white. I'll punch through that dim brow of yours."

Ilseria said, half-enraged. As an Anthem fan, Sakiho was happy to hear Ilseria's angry voice in person, but that aside, it was genuinely pretty scary.

Actually, Hamamatsu had casually mentioned that Ilseria had stayed overnight at Hayasaka Toru's place... why on earth would that lead to a sleepover after how hostile they'd been? She tried to think about it, but couldn't understand at all, so Sakiho immediately stopped thinking.

The gloomy woman — Maisaka Risa — showed no sign of being intimidated by the anger directed at her, simply shrugged lightly and held up her mobile device as if showing it off.

"It seems Sugai Dungeon has mutated. The types of monsters appearing have refreshed. They're about at the thirteenth floor now... hmm? The thirteenth floor has mutated in structure too. Probably a boss room."

"Hm. Let's check."

"It's trending at the top of the streaming site, so you'll see right away."

"Megumi, put the stream on."

"Sure, but can't you just watch on your own device?"

"If I want to comment, it'll be obvious it's the S-rank explorer Ilseria. With Megumi's account, there's no problem."

"I'm not commenting. I might cause trouble."

"Oh, Kawai-chan. I wanna watch the stream too. Let me see your device."

Everyone started checking Hayasaka Toru's stream on their own mobile devices... actually, it was amazing how casually they planned to watch an exploration stream in a basement where Sasamori Takeshi was tied up. Sakiho also operated her own device and connected to the video streaming site.

She quickly found the live stream on the "Cleaning Records" channel.

〈Then, let's go!〉

Kujo Reiko's voice, and the door opened. A wide empty space, common in dungeon exploration streams. Probably a boss room.

As Sakiho expected, as they approached the center of the space, the stream camera caught the boss. It wasn't moving yet, perhaps not judging them as "in combat" — but it looked like a demon-type boss. The stream comments said A-rank middle.

〈—Care to dance with me?〉

Kujo Reiko, inviting Hayasaka Toru with a brilliant smile, had a beauty that even Sakiho, who favored Anthem, had to acknowledge.

◇◇◇

"Structure change on the thirteenth floor, boss room with an A-rank middle demon-type. The original deepest floor was the sixteenth, right? Even if the number of floors is the same, considering the monster distribution, it's almost certainly mutated into an S-rank dungeon. Noumi Dungeon is probably suspicious too."

Soma said, closing the streaming site that now showed "recommended videos" after the stream ended. He tossed his mobile device into his leather jacket's inner pocket, then, as if on a whim, kicked Sasamori Takeshi's shin with the toe of his leather shoe.

"Gwah!"

"Hey, you're noisy. Haven't learned your lesson?"

Despite the blatantly unfair treatment, Sasamori didn't argue. Well, of course. A man who sounded even stronger than former A-rank Sadoyama Koji was clearly directing hostility at him — Sasamori's only option was to minimize damage.

That kind of behavior seemed to bother Saito Megumi, Anthem's leader, but she didn't say anything like "cut that out." She probably felt her own comfort was irrelevant right now.

"Ilseria, what do you think? Considering the danger, one option is to skip exploring Noumi Dungeon altogether..."

"Don't be foolish, Nanami. We won't know how Noumi Dungeon has changed until we dive in, but if a similar mutation has occurred, frankly, it's a profitable hunting ground."

Hamamatsu Nanami's cautious opinion was understandable, and Ilseria's explorer perspective also had its logic. If they were lucky, Noumi would become a dungeon with monsters at just the right level for Anthem's current strength.

"...At any floor, if there are signs of a boss room, you turn back. If you can promise me that, I'll permit the exploration."

"Fine. Megumi, that works for you?"

"Hmm... well, I suppose. A perfectly suited dungeon might be a godsend for us right now. It's the first time since becoming A-rank that I've felt so powerless."

Megumi let out a wry laugh, but as far as Sakiho could tell, her will wasn't broken yet. There was probably some bravado, but even so, she chose not to retreat as the leader of the A-rank clan Anthem.

She must be scared. She must be terrified. How many accidents had she encountered in the past few days? And yet, despite her fear, she didn't stop moving forward.

That was why Sakiho liked them.

The Anthem members on stream were always faithful to their duty. They showed smiles to viewers and gave hope to the general public.

The world had become like this — but there were explorers like them.

So everyone, support society within your means.

Of course, Anthem's members hadn't said anything like that directly. Until yesterday, Sakiho wouldn't have even tried to articulate that implicit intent.

Now, she understood a little.

She too should sow some measure of "good" in this world.

Even if it was far too late.

"The cleaner and the Kujo heiress seem to be pulling back. Maisaka, we're heading to Sugai Dungeon. If we wait at the entrance, we'll meet the cleaner. Sadoyama, what about you?"

"I'll go home, take a bath, and sleep. Then change and head to the airport. Anthem's 'Teacher' and the S-rank clan I called in will be arriving. I'll pick them up. I'll leave dealing with the mayor, governor, and assembly members to the 'Teacher.'"

"I see. Hamamatsu, take out this trash and confine him to a hotel, or keep him under guard here. The man claiming to be from the Cabinet Intelligence Office, or someone connected to him, might come to kill this trash. Watch your back."

"Well, I can't go back to a hotel then. Um... Megumi, Ilseria, sorry, but could you bring me supplies later? After you dive into Noumi Dungeon. Treat it like training — prioritize defeating monsters over advancing through floors."

"No, that's troublesome. Here, eat this."

Ilseria coldly refused Hamamatsu Nanami's request — Nanami looked a little apologetic — and started pulling cans and plastic bottles from the magic bag she was wearing, tossing them at Nanami.

"I'm taking the car. We'll dive into Noumi Dungeon as soon as we're ready. Megumi, call Airi and have her prepare with Chizuru."

"Ehh... you're taking the car?"

"Once the assessment of Toru is done, the gloomy woman can collect it along with the trash here. You're not diving into a dungeon, so put up with it."

"...I'm the one driving, you know. Well, Nanami-san, stay safe."

"You too, Megumi. Absolutely don't push yourselves."

And so, Ilseria and Megumi left the basement. Megumi gave a small bow to Sakiho as she passed near the entrance, but the elf completely ignored her.

Sakiho just hoped the elf hadn't noticed her taking a deep breath as they passed. That would be too creepy. She was aware of it, but couldn't help herself.

"Alright, we're going too. They'll probably come out of the dungeon within two hours at most. Let's grab burgers on the way. I want a shake too. I should have coupons — I'll treat Maisaka as well."

Soma said, walking toward their side without touching his hunting cap, hands in his jean pockets. She wished such a tough-looking guy wouldn't say such cute things, but of course Sakiho's wishes weren't granted, and he ignored her too as he passed.

"Well, I'll come back later. Sadoyama, see you around."

The gloomy woman, standing on the opposite side of the entrance door, said. Sadoyama made a thoroughly displeased face.

"...I'd rather not see you again, y'know."

"Black. You want to see me again."

With a gloomy smirk, Maisaka Risa said nothing more, ignored Sakiho of course, and followed Soma out of the basement.

"...Do you really want to see her again?"

"Stuff like that, whoever says it wins. I can't tell if she's lying or not. More importantly, Kawai-chan, do you know Hayasaka-kun's contact info?"

"No. It was registered on the terminal at the labyrinth branch office, though."

"Then get your device out. I'll give it to you."

Sadoyama's gentle wry smile — an ambiguous expression — caught her off guard. He'd hit a sore spot... maybe he understood Sakiho's change of heart more accurately than Sakiho herself.

"...Please."

Without saying anything unnecessary, she took out her mobile device and had him give her Hayasaka Toru's number. She'd seen the sequence of numbers before, but hadn't memorized it exactly, so this was helpful. Well, normally it wasn't allowed to give out someone's contact information without their permission, but Hayasaka probably wouldn't get angry.

Not angry — more like, he'd just not care.

Naturally. She should be grateful he'd let it slide. How could she face Hayasaka Toru now?

She didn't know.

But she didn't know — and yet, Kawai Sakiho had no choice but to move forward with this face.

Why hadn't she lived more properly... Thinking that way was itself proof that she hadn't lived properly.

People who live decently don't think such things.

"I'm going to make a call."

Saying that, leaving Sadoyama, Hamamatsu Nanami, and the bound Assembly Member Sasamori behind, Sakiho also left the basement and climbed the stairs.