Chapter 116 Footprints
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Higurashi Asuka slipped out of the girls’ dorm late at night. She passed by the quiet tennis courts and stopped in a narrow park that connected the schoolyard to the outside area.
After making sure no one was around, she pulled out her notebook and took a thin sewing needle from her card holder. It looked like a regular needle, but under the streetlight, it faintly shimmered.
She remembered Tsuchimiya saying he had “gotten used to it and could easily pierce skin now.”
”Is that even possible…?” Higurashi thought, feeling doubtful.
From what she’d learned in class, the player system was meant to boost human abilities to fight monsters and clear dungeons. It wasn’t made for everyday things like sewing or piercing coins.
Still, she took a ten-yen coin from her wallet and carefully pushed the sewing needle through it.
Surprisingly, the needle went through the coin with almost no effort, as if the metal were soft.
”Huh…”
Higurashi frowned, deep in thought. She put the needle back in her card holder and closed her notebook.
* * *
The teleportation facility was quiet in the middle of the night, but some students were still using it, so a few staff members were on duty.
Higurashi walked down a white-walled hallway toward the Appraisal counter. Only one sleepy-looking woman sat at the far end of the row of counters.
”Excuse me, I’d like to request an appraisal,” Higurashi said softly.
She placed the sewing needle on the large metal tray. The woman’s blue eyes widened as she looked between the needle and Higurashi with suspicion.
”Please wait a moment.”
The woman handed her some paperwork and a number tag, then disappeared to the back with the tray.
After about twenty minutes sitting on a sofa, the woman returned, this time with a man in a military uniform who called Higurashi over.
”Sorry, please come with me.”
The man lifted a panel on the counter and motioned her through. Higurashi followed him down a back hallway to a conference room.
She sat alone at a large black table and waited for another ten minutes.
Then, the door opened. A tall blonde woman in a navy military uniform entered, her face serious but her hair messy, as if she had just woken up.
”Good evening, Lugia-san,” Higurashi greeted.
Lugia slumped in her chair, sighing deeply.
”I thought it was someone else… Oh, right. You’re the same kind as Takeru-kun.”
She made a tired face.
”How rude. I don’t trust common sense, but Tsuchimiya-senpai is like a walking absurdity. It’s insulting to be compared to him.”
Higurashi blinked, then said quietly, “But your face just now made me believe you. You can all go back to your posts.”
”Understood.”
Lugia took the tray and paperwork and dismissed the staff.
She placed the tray on the table and sat across from Higurashi. The sewing needle lay on a light brown cloth.
”So, Asuka. How did you get this? Since I’ve heard about your gift before, this must be different.”
Lugia’s expression tightened as she leaned forward.
”I can’t say,” Higurashi replied calmly. “If you try to force it out, I’ll have to tell you to avoid pain.”
Lugia sighed again.
”So, you see through everything.”
”Not completely. But from your reaction, I’m convinced it’s not that you can’t interfere, but that you’re not allowed to. There must be some kind of agreement—law or treaty, right? I also get that you and the others are trying hard to treat us fairly within those rules.”
”That’s true,” Lugia said. “According to the documents, no country has truly succeeded under this agreement. It’s foolish to only take national benefits from the byproducts without planting seeds of hope. That’s the Commander-in-Chief’s will. But our homeland is conservative. If they find out too soon, the Commander-in-Chief might be removed.”
”So you’re isolated and unsupported. I don’t want to get involved in strange matters, so let’s focus on the appraisal. What are the results?”
Lugia’s voice caught. It felt like Higurashi was reading her thoughts, making it hard to speak.
”U-Understood. This is probably a ‘sacred artifact.’”
”Sacred artifact? What do you mean probably? Is it different from a magic item?”
”There’s no clear definition. But this contains huge magical power, pure beyond normal limits. If we test it at home facilities, we might know more.”
”So we barely know anything. It’s too small to be a weapon, and its uses are unclear.”
”There are tales of accessories called sacred artifacts mixed with magic iron to forge swords worthy of national treasure.”
”That’s interesting.”
”If you sell it here, you’d get about 100 million yen. It might take time, but negotiating with home country could get you close to a billion.”
Lugia fidgeted, eyes on the needle.
”I’m not planning to sell it now. And if I want it to be a ‘result,’ it’s too soon.”
”Eh? Really?”
”The best way is to secretly trade with a trusted player. Most students haven’t reached the third floor yet. People might think struggling students just sell useless gifts. Some might want to drag others down. Unless desperate, this huge school with over 90% survival is stable. If policies keep that going, we can get many resources from the dungeon, and the Commander-in-Chief’s rating will rise. No need to panic yet.”
”That’s a little scary! Are you watching me right now?!”
”If you watch closely, you can predict things like that.”
”You’re only 15… that’s kinda scary. I get it. You don’t have to pay the appraisal fee this time. If it’s recorded, it might cause trouble. I hope you sell it sometime though.”
”I won’t sell it now, but if I have to, I’ll let you know. Maybe you can help me replace it.”
”Replace it?”
”That’s a secret.”
She’s not involved yet, but being important to the School Management Committee isn’t bad. If the Commander-in-Chief is removed and security weakens, that’s bad. She won’t hesitate to help if needed. Such favors have value.
”I have business now, so I’ll go. Sorry for the interruption.”
”Ah! Tell Takeru-kun the yakisoba was delicious!”
”Got it.”
Higurashi took the sewing needle and left the teleportation facility.
She headed straight into the school building and slipped into the multi-purpose restroom to change clothes. After locking the door behind them, Higurashi pulled out the sewing needle and examined it closely.
It didn’t look very special at first glance, just an ordinary needle. But something told Higurashi it wasn’t normal.
”A sacred artifact, huh… I wonder if it can be cultivated.”
She smiled a little, already thinking about stealing it again once it had grown stronger.
* * *
’Good morning, Nyurun.’
”Kyaa~! Good morning, Njorn-chan!”
”Good morning, Njorn-chan!”
Njorn was being petted gently by Kanami-san and Saegusa-senpai.
”Good morning.”
”Hey, good morning.”
Sogahara-senpai greeted us with a bright smile, fresh even early in the morning. My eyes were a little dazzled by it since I didn’t get much sleep.
”Hmm? You look tired today too?”
”Ah, it’s just the usual.”
I gave a rough, smirking smile. I hadn’t trained this morning but would find time later.
”Is that so? Don’t push yourself too hard.”
The girls chatted casually nearby, while Katsura-kun blushed bright red, being teased by Hano-san. This group was really comfortable with each other now.
”Tsuchimiya-kun, I finished cleaning up the map. Could you check it?”
Higashimura-senpai showed me a handwritten map on graph paper, covering the 3rd and 4th floors from yesterday.
”Ah, it’s perfect. Just like I expected.”
It matched almost exactly with the automated map logs. Higashimura-senpai was known as a skilled Mapper.
Satou-san had recently earned the Mapper title too, but Himeno, another Scout, hadn’t. Her maps were often hard to read — different scales and crossed corridors didn’t help. People had their strengths. Luckily, I had my auto-map, so I wasn’t bothered.
”Alright, let’s go. Dangerous creatures called Demiurge wait in the safe zone. Be careful—they might attack right after teleporting.”
Today, we were searching for the boss room on the north side of the 4th floor. Everyone’s faces grew serious as we followed Sogahara-senpai.
Other parties who came out early looked happy to see her. Since it was Saturday with no classes, more parties seemed to dive early than on weekdays.
When Sogahara-senpai waved cheerfully, a cheer rose from the crowd.
At the teleportation room, no other parties lined up. Following staff instructions, we passed our player cards through the log crystal, then stepped onto the teleportation magic circle.
When passing the card, you keep the back side up so others can’t see its color. Many do this to hide their level or for other secret reasons, so it’s normal and doesn’t raise suspicion.
At the north exit on the 4th floor, about twenty or thirty male students stood in line. They might be Demiurge, but that was still a large group.
”Ah! It’s Vice President Sogahara!”
Someone shouted, and the rough-looking men turned around at once. It was about 5:30 a.m., the exact time the undead vanished completely.
”Good morning. You’re early risers too? That shows dedication.”
Sogahara-senpai greeted them cheerfully, like a friendly fisherman, but the others looked tense and hostile. If they attacked all of us, it would be dangerous. Many were large, and none of the girls seemed to be with them anymore.
One especially big man carrying a greatsword stepped forward.
”Hey, Vice President Sogahara. What are you doing here? If you interfere, I won’t hold back.”
The man in black leather and chainmail was about as tall as Sogahara-senpai—185 cm—but looked bigger because of his thick muscles.
”Oh, we don’t want to fight. Actually, if you’re in trouble, we could help.”
”Huh? That’s none of your business, idiot. Get lost. Or else──”
The man’s murderous glare grew sharper as three more men stepped up behind him, looking just as threatening.
”Stop it, Moriya. You too, don’t cause trouble. Vice President Sogahara and Tsuchimiya are here. If someone gets hurt, it will slow the search. This isn’t the time for games.”
A slender man with glasses spoke sharply to them. He only looked slender compared to the others, but was clearly fit. They all glared at me with hostility.
”Tch! Listen, Vice President Sogahara. Don’t come near here. If you wander around, I won’t hesitate to kill you.”
The man with the greatsword gestured to a boundary on the ground. It seemed we could leave through the southern exit without problems.
”If you need manpower, call the Student Council anytime.”
”Shut up! Just leave!”
I headed for the southern entrance as Sogahara-senpai spoke quietly beside me.
”The guy with the greatsword is Moriya-kun, number two of the Demiurge. Also here are Shiraishi-kun, the Magara-nii twins, and Fumioka-kun—Kibakura-kun’s aide with glasses. All the top guys are gathered.”
”Huh.”
I thought I’d forget all their names fast.
Notes:
• Higurashi Asuka – A girl afflicted with an incurable disease. Another MC’s girlfriend.
• Higurashi – Higurashi Asuka. A girl afflicted with an incurable disease. Another MC’s girlfriend.
• Asuka – Higurashi Asuka. A girl afflicted with an incurable disease. Another MC’s girlfriend.
• Lugia-san – Facility manager who was bribed by the MC with cup ramen
• Lugia – Facility manager who was bribed by the MC with cup ramen
• Saegusa-senpai – Third-year vanguard student in Sogahara-senpai’s party
• Kanami-san – Second-year rearguard Magician in Sogahara-senpai’s party
• Sogahara-senpai – Student Council Vice President
• Sogahara – Student Council Vice President
• Katsura-kun – First-year vanguard student in Sogahara-senpai’s party
• Hano-san – Hano Chikako. Brown-skinned, brown-haired gal, and free-spirited. Honest and straightforward. She joined Maekawa Party after being helped in the past.
• Hano – Hano Chikako. Brown-skinned, brown-haired gal, and free-spirited. Honest and straightforward. She joined Maekawa Party after being helped in the past.
• Higashimura-senpai – Third-year scout in Sogahara-senpai’s party
• Satou-san – Satou Akari. The Scout. Long black hair, slender and cool-looking. Passionate underneath, she was once the leader of the violent yakuza gang.
• Himeno – MC’s first girlfriend
• Satou – Satou Akari. The Scout. Long black hair, slender and cool-looking. Passionate underneath, she was once the leader of the violent yakuza gang.
• Moriya – Kibakura’s number two in Demiurge, possibly rallying troops after Kibakura-kun’s retreat.
• Moriya-kun – Kibakura’s number two in Demiurge, possibly rallying troops after Kibakura-kun’s retreat.
• Kibakura – Leader of Demiurge
• Fumioka – One of Kibakura’s close friend
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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