Volume 1 Chapter 20 Everything Has Led to This Moment ②
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
TL summary:
Hirose realizes the terrifying weight of Kirino’s family lineage; Kirino demonstrates advanced control of her Gift, solidifying the three-person treatment plan; Hibiki confirms the necessity of the trio with her ‘Wish-Seeker’ skill; the grueling four-week treatment concludes; and Asumi finally awakens, signaling success.
—
The name Hidou Genroku is a declaration in and of itself. He’s the grizzled founder and the current Chairman of the Adventurer Guild Association, the one entity that manages and runs all Dungeons and Adventurers across Japan.
Every prefecture has a chapter, but the nerve center sits in Tokyo. All active Adventurers and every single Guild in the country must operate directly through this government-sanctioned Association. No one’s allowed to just stroll into a Dungeon on a whim.
Genroku, though well past seventy, is still sharp and active on the job. His physique is that of a beast, honed and powerful, paired with a terrifying, demon-like scowl. That single, menacing expression is enough to plunge countless individuals into outright terror.
Then there’s Hidou Gori, Genroku’s only son. Gori launched his own successful venture during his university years, only to pivot hard when the Dungeons showed up. He established the ‘Dungeon Guild Corporation,’ a new enterprise dedicated to supporting Adventurers by securing trade and distribution routes for dungeon-acquired items.
Working in direct partnership with the Adventurer Guild Association and the government, the company expanded nationwide, becoming the foremost Dungeon-related corporation in all of Japan. Just like Genroku, Gori inherited that same, intense scowl. He’s famous as an ace CEO, and few dare to cross him.
And Kirino? Hidou Kirino was blood-related to both of them.
(A-am I… gonna get whacked?) Hirose’s thoughts spiraled. He hadn’t just dated Kirino; he’d completely finished the deed without being in an official relationship. The images of those two terrifying, scowling faces—the ones even Hirose knew—flashed in his mind. If they ever found out, he was dead meat.
(Kirino’s house… that’s their house, too, isn’t it? That’s why it was so massive!)
Fuyutsuki Saori had seen Genroku countless times while working at the HQ, and his face always terrified her. Now, understanding Kirino’s lineage, she was finally comprehending her own fear.
Incidentally, the reason Fuyutsuki knew of Kirino at all was because Genroku would stomp around the Association headquarters, that intimidating face still intact, just loudly bragging, “My granddaughter, Kirino, is just too adorable!” Fuyutsuki heard the name often.
”Ahem! My apologies,” Fuyutsuki coughed, pulling herself back to the moment. “We’ve strayed too far… So, what exactly is it that Kirino-san is capable of doing—” Fuyutsuki intentionally used Kirino’s first name to avoid confusion with the Chairman and his son, steering the conversation back on track.
”My Gift is ‘Ice Air,’” Kirino explained, her voice steady. “I can manipulate cold air—enough to flash-freeze atmospheric moisture. Honestly, I had a physical reaction to the Gift when I was little, which forced me to learn how to control it to simply live. That’s why controlling it is something I can do even with my eyes closed.”
Kirino lifted her index finger and generated a tiny spike of ice at its tip. She watched it grow rapidly in size—and then, with a snapping motion, she made it vanish completely.
”Incredible… So Kirino, you’ll use that to—”
”Yes. I plan to wrap both Shishido-san’s burns and Hirose-kun’s hands in a layer of cold air to perfectly regulate the temperature,” Kirino stated. “This will allow him to endure the extreme heat.”
”She can even manage that…”
Hibiki and Koharu were already astonished at having directly witnessed Kirino form and then launch giant ice stalactites earlier. But the sheer ability to control and adjust the temperature of the cold air, even before forming the ice? Their mouths hung open in disbelief.
”—To summarize, then: Kushima-san will suppress the pain felt by Shishido-san, Kirino-san will use cold air to regulate the surface temperature of the skin, and Takanashi-san will heal Shishido-san’s burns…” Fuyutsuki recapitulated for clarity, her eyes now gleaming with the thought that this might actually work.
”—It’s like… the four of us were all brought together just for this moment,” Koharu whispered softly, a reflective tone in her voice.
”What an amazing… coincidence.”
It seemed entirely possible that Asumi’s treatment would fail if even one of the three—Hirose, Koharu, or Kirino—was missing. If that were the case, the fact that these three had become friends and were led to this precise location at this time was a coincidence so profound, it truly felt like fate had brought them here just to save Shishido Asumi.
”Everyone is trying to help, but I’m the only one who can’t do anything…”
There was one girl whose face was clouded with despair: Hibiki.
But she was wrong. If Hibiki hadn’t spoken to Hirose, he wouldn’t have met Koharu. If Hibiki hadn’t spoken to Kirino, Kirino wouldn’t have met Hirose and Koharu. Their four-way meeting had all started with Hibiki. She was not useless—not in the slightest.
”Hibiki-chan… I don’t think that’s true,” Kirino countered gently, sensing Hibiki’s turmoil. “Is this treatment plan truly correct? To confirm that final, absolute push… I believe you are the only one who can do that, aren’t you?”
”Ah—” Hibiki gaspeda as the realization hit her instantly. She walked toward the sleeping Asumi, focusing the magic in her eyes as she activated her skill.
”…They’re glowing… and all three of them.”
Hibiki turned back to the room. Hirose, Koharu, and Kirino were all smiling at her.
”Haha… Looks like Kirino was right.”
”Hibiki-chan is always useful, no matter what the situation is,” Koharu murmured supportively.
”Stop, you’re making me happy…” Hibiki’s eyes trembled slightly.
However, one person in the room didn’t understand Hibiki’s action.
”Excuse me. What exactly does this mean?” Fuyutsuki Saori inquired professionally.
Fuyutsuki possesses the ‘Appraisal’ Gift but never uses it arbitrarily, nor does she know the Gifts and Skills of every person. Moreover, even Mizuki and Haruka were unaware of Hibiki’s newly acquired skill.
”The skill attached to my Gift is called ‘Wish-Seeker,’” Hibiki explained. “It has the effect of making the person the target is unconsciously seeking the most shine brightly.”
”A skill like that…”
”And right now, I applied it to Asumi-chan,” Hibiki continued. “The people her body is subconsciously demanding—the people who shone—were Hirose, Koharu, and Kirino. All three of them.”
It was a first for Hibiki. Up until now, the object of desire had always been a single person. But this time, it was three simultaneously. This meant Asumi required all three of them equally. While there might be other necessary people whom Hibiki couldn’t detect, she felt instinctively that no one else was needed.
”So Hibiki’s skill confirmed that the three of us, including me, are the people who can save Shishido-san,” Koharu stated, clarifying the situation.
”Hibiki… I’m speechless…” Mizuki breathed, her voice trembling.
”Can a coincidence like this really happen…?” Haruka exclaimed, equally stunned by the unbelievable situation.
”Alright, Kirino—” Hirose spoke with renewed determination. Kirino nodded in response, and together they approached Asumi’s bed.
”Everyone, we’ll do this again. Since it’s only the left side this time, I think we can finish within an hour.”
”Hirose-kun, you just focus on your own skill. I’ll perfectly envelop both you and Shishido-san with the cold, so don’t worry.”
”Kirino… you’ve become so dependable.” Hirose couldn’t help but admire her newfound confidence.
”You two… please, save Asumi for us!” Mizuki and Haruka implored desperately, sending their pleas to Hirose and Kirino’s backs.
”Please, save our best friend!”
”Here we go—Skill ‘Skin Quality Improvement!’”
”Cold air—envelop.”
With that, the four-week-long treatment of Shishido Asumi began, driven by the combined Gifts of Hirose, Kirino, and Koharu.
* * *
”Hahh… hahh… Agh…!”
”Hirose… keep going!”
As he stroked Asumi’s left side, Hirose poured an immense amount of Magic Power into his Gift. Several empty Magic Power Potion bottles, provided by Mizuki, lay scattered on the floor; he needed them to keep going.
Though Hirose had used his skill on three people before, treating an entire body meant one person a day was his limit. He could handle several people if he only treated parts of them, but a full treatment required a day’s worth of energy. Normally, he could have treated Asumi’s conventional burns as usual. But this ‘Curse’ was different: the ‘Skin Quality Improvement’ skill demanded a massive expenditure of magic just to be deployed.
”Today… is the last day. I’m doing this!”
Everyone but Fuyutsuki was gathered behind them, watching Hirose and Kirino administer their Gifts. Yet, the most exhausting job wasn’t Hirose’s or Kirino’s. The most difficult task in Asumi’s recovery was Koharu’s.
Koharu’s skill, ‘Mitigation Grant,’ could only be sustained for about half a day at a time, even when she used the majority of her own massive magic pool. Because of this, she had to stop by the hospital before school in the morning and again after she was dismissed in the evening to reapply the skill. She, too, needed Magic Power Potions to keep up, which Mizuki had readily supplied. To prevent Asumi from dying of shock due to the pain, Koharu had visited the hospital every single day for four weeks.
”—It’s done…”
The faint white light vanished from Hirose’s hands.
Four weeks. Eight total sessions. Starting from Christmas Day, crossing into the New Year, and ending past the middle of January, Asumi’s treatment was finally complete.
”All we can do now is wait. I hope this works…”
”Thank you… thank you so much!” Mizuki and Haruka, who had been waiting, their voices trembling with emotion, thanked the exhausted Hirose.
”Hirose-kun, Kirino-chan… and Hibiki, and Koharu-chan too… Thank you!”
In all previous cases, the effect had manifested within a week of the final treatment. Asumi was expected to follow the same pattern, but because this was a ‘Curse,’ even Hirose couldn’t be sure what would happen. All everyone present could do was pray that Asumi’s burns would heal and she would finally wake up.
* * *
…Inside the expansive hospital, within a VIP private room reserved only for those who could afford the staggering fees.
A soft ray of winter sun slanted in through the gap in the half-open curtain, illuminating the room.
”Mmm…”
It was a struggle to open her eyelids, a difficulty perhaps caused by how long they had been closed. Forcing her eyebrows to lift and push her eyelids open, the first thing she saw was an unfamiliar ceiling.
She moved her neck. To her right, the half-open curtains. To her left, a dividing screen… and an IV drip connected to her arm.
—Grooooooaaaannnnnnn.
A loud rumble echoed from her stomach.
”…I want to eat meat.”
The girl with the slightly grown-out, neatly trimmed black bangs slowly pushed herself up in the bed.
Notes:
• Kirino – Strikingly beautiful with blue long hair (F, 168cm), Kirino is gifted with ice magic and feels isolated because of her appearance. Hirose’s Beauty skill helps her improve her self-image and social comfort, directly affecting Kirino’s relationship with her family and classmates.
• Genroku – Kirino’s grandfather (M, 74yo, short white hair, 182cm), president of the Adventurer Guild. Though intimidating, he is deeply caring for Kirino, protecting her throughout the narrative. His character signals the balance of authority and affection.
• Fuyutsuki Saori – A guild staff member who possesses the ‘Appraisal’ Gift. She is called in to assess Asumi’s critical condition, identifies the injury as a magical curse, and reveals that Hirose might be the only one who can cure it, despite the professional risk to herself.
• Ice Air – Kirino Hidou’s Gift, which allows her to manipulate cold air and flash-freeze atmospheric moisture. She demonstrates exceptional control over it, using it to regulate temperature precisely. For Asumi’s treatment, she wraps both the patient’s burns and Hirose’s hands in a layer of cold air to manage the extreme heat, enabling Hirose to use his healing skill without being harmed.
• Shishido Asumi – Calm, beautiful fire mage and model (F, 18yo, 163cm, long straight black hair, F-cup). Suffering burns in the past, Asumi is healed by Hirose, symbolizing the skill’s healing and beautifying powers. She’s mature and quietly supportive.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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