Volume 3 Chapter 11 Appreciation Party Unexpected Encounters and the S-Rank Adventurer
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Wow! It’s huge!” Kirino gasped.
”So luxurious~” Rindou Hibiki sighed, her eyes wide.
”Do you think we’re, like, totally outta place?” Hirose mumbled, feeling a little small.
”Fufu, not at all, desuwa. You all look wonderful in your formal clothes today,” Kirino assured them, offering a small, composed smile.
”Aba… aba-baba-baa…!” Yaginuma Asami stammered, completely overwhelmed.
It was late March. The setting was a lavish banquet hall inside a high-end hotel.
Today, Hirose and his four friends had arrived in formal attire, something they never wore normally. This was the year-end appreciation party for the adventurer-exclusive talent agency, ‘Treasure Next’, hosted by Hourai Midori. It was a gathering for all the affiliated adventurers and other key personnel.
”Hirose-kun, you actually look kinda sharp today,” Hibiki observed, her playful tone evident.
”You think so? It’s probably just the hair and the suit, since I never wear this stuff. I don’t feel comfortable, though,” Hirose confessed, feeling the stiffness of his brand-new black suit. His hair was slicked back, all his bangs held firm with wax and spray.
”More importantly! How do we look?” Hibiki pressed, striking a pose.
If Hirose was dressed up, the girls were even more so. Each of them was wrapped in a sparkling dress, dazzling to look at.
”Yeah. You all look cute. I was honestly surprised by how well it suits you. Though… don’t you think the exposed skin is a little much?” Hirose wondered, a tiny bit flustered.
Hibiki was wearing a sophisticated, sleeveless dress where her ample bosom seemed to be spilling over the side. Side-boob, you could call it.
”Thanks! I agree the cut is kinda high, but this dress is just so cute!” she chirped, her excitement bubbling over.
They didn’t usually wear dresses, and since they never came to places like this, even Hibiki’s energy was through the roof. Koharu, Kirino, and even Asami felt the same. Asami, especially, with her foreign features, looked like an absolute princess in the dress she was wearing. Kirino had arranged all their dresses and Hirose’s suit through her family’s connections.
”Ah, everyone. Thank you so much for attending today!”
Hourai Midori, the woman who had invited them, approached. She, too, was stunning in an elegant dress.
”No problem! Thank you, Midori-san!” Hibiki brightly replied.
”My pleasure. We’ve prepared some delicious food, so I hope you enjoy that, too,” Midori responded with a gracious nod.
”Oh, wow, you’re right. It’s like a buffet!” Hirose observed.
Following Midori’s gaze, they saw many dishes arranged along the wall, set up buffet-style.
”Also, I’ll be introducing my father later, so if you don’t mind, please give him a brief greeting,” Midori added. “Thanks for everything!” Hirose responded sincerely.
”Of course. I’ll see you later then,” Midori finished, moving on to greet other attendees, as the party hadn’t officially started yet.
”Man, oh man—” Hirose looked around, and he involuntarily swallowed hard. The reason was clear.
”Seriously, it’s only adventurers here…”
He couldn’t hide his excitement seeing so many people he recognized from TV attending.
And among them were some very familiar faces—
”Hey! Long time no see, everyone!”
”Ah, Mizuki-nee!”
Coming over with waving hands were Housaka Mizuki, Akise Haruka, and Shishido Asumi, the A-Rank Adventurers belonging to the
”Hello. It’s been a while,” Haruka greeted them with a composed smile.
”Hey there! Have you guys been well~?” Asumi chimed in playfully.
After exchanging pleasantries with Haruka and Asumi, the trio’s eyes landed on one particular girl.
”Whoa, this girl is seriously cute! Like a little doll!” Mizuki exclaimed, her eyes wide with shock.
”A-abaah!?” Asami squeaked, instantly flinching.
Mizuki and the others, unaware that Asami had saved them during their dungeon sightseeing, immediately surrounded and smothered her with attention.
”She’s so sweet!”
”You’re not… in elementary school, are you?” Haruka inquired carefully.
”I-I’m a first-year in high school, actually.”
”Oh, my bad. You’re just so small and adorable, you know?” Harumi apologized.
”Aba-baba-baba-baaa!?” Asami shrieked, her face turning bright red as her people-phobia took over, surrounded by the three older women.
Just then, the atmosphere in the hall shifted completely. A subtle, yet powerful buzz spread through the crowd.
”Mwaaaah…”
Strolling into the venue was a massive man who didn’t look old at all, despite his age, radiating an aura of a true powerhouse even though he wasn’t an active adventurer.
The hugely muscular man, whose suit was stretched taut over his bulk, stomped loudly toward them, followed by his secretary.
”Hmm…?”
”Ah…”
Kirino was the first to react. The old man’s terrifying gaze instantly locked onto hers.
”Eh? Uh, what?”
”Why is that scary guy coming right over here!?” Hibiki squealed, and both she and Hirose recoiled, pushed back by the man’s sheer intense presence.
Then—
”KIRINOOOOOOOO~~!!”
”Grandpa!? Aah!”
He easily lifted Kirino up in a bear hug with both hands.
”Kirino~~! You’ve grown up so beautiful! Your grandpa is so happy!” he boomed with emotion.
”Wait, stop! Everyone’s looking, cut it out!” Kirino pleaded, mortified.
”What’re you talking about? Your grandpa’s been dying to see you!” he bellowed.
”I said… stop it!”
”Buh-heh-ah!?”
Kirino was seriously displeased by the continuous hugging. She finally decked him right in the face with a punch from a glove made of ice.
”K-Kirino… is this person, could he be…?” Hirose whispered, absolutely stunned.
”Yes. I apologize for the unsightly display. This is my grandfather—Genroku Hidou,” Kirino explained, completely composed despite the recent violent outburst.
”EHHHHHHHH!?”
The man who had hugged Kirino was a figure known by virtually everyone in Japan, the very founder of the Adventurer’s Guild Association. The seventy-plus-year-old was Kirino’s grandfather.
”Wait, is it okay for an old man to do that, though?” Hibiki inquired, concerned for his health.
”The one who’s at fault is the grandpa who hugged me in front of so many people… Besides, a punch like that won’t even leave a scratch on him,” Kirino explained, her tone dry.
”Huh?”
Just as Kirino said, Genroku, who had been lying on the floor, slowly began to rise.
”Ugh… Kirino’s hits are always so painful, aren’t they? But that was a wonderful punch of love, my girl!” he proclaimed, adjusting his suit.
”There wasn’t an ounce of love in that punch,” Kirino refuted flatly.
”KIRINOOOOOOO!?” Genroku cried out in mock pain.
”Genroku-sama, that’s enough. Look, everyone is watching,” the male secretary beside him interjected smoothly.
Genroku noticed, looking around to see that every single attendee was now staring right at them.
”Nuuuugh… fine. I didn’t know Kirino was attending, so I couldn’t help myself,” he grumbled.
”I didn’t know either,” Kirino muttered.
”Kirino-sama, everyone. My sincerest apologies. I will personally ensure Genroku-sama behaves for the rest of the evening, so for now—”
Genroku was then escorted away by his secretary toward a group who seemed to be industry associates. Kirino sighed deeply as she watched them go.
”Honestly, Grandpa is too much.”
”He was amazing, though. He looked so young, I thought he was your dad,” Hirose observed, impressed.
”Hirose-kun… I think his Gift plays a part, but Grandpa has a Gift called ‘Kangaroo’,” Kirino explained.
”What’s that? That’s just an animal name!” Hibiki quickly chimed in, confused.
”There are Gifts like that. Kangaroos are known for their incredibly muscular upper bodies, right? I mean, he looks more like a gorilla, but the Gift is actually called ‘Kangaroo.’ It makes it easy for him to build muscle, which is why he became a power-type person,” Kirino elaborated clearly.
”H-huh, really…” Hirose murmured.
”If it’s ‘Kangaroo,’ does he have great jumping power too?” Hirose wondered, a thought popping into his head. The leg power of a kangaroo was the most famous part of the animal.
”Yes, he does. Most adventurers don’t know this, but when the first Dungeons appeared, Grandpa actually went inside himself to defeat monsters. His power and jump were apparently very useful back then,” Kirino confirmed.
”So he was, like, an adventurer?”
”It seems so. I don’t know much, as it was before I was born, but that’s the story,” she finished.
Hirose nodded, hearing this for the first time. Genroku, the founder of the Adventurer’s Guild Association, had fully utilized the power of his Gift. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that his strength allowed him to personally explore the Dungeons and expand the Adventurer’s Guild Association to what it was today.
”Still, a lot of incredible people are here today,” Koharu commented.
”Right? To think the head of the Adventurer’s Guild would show up…” Hirose agreed with Koharu.
However, the person Hirose was truly waiting for hadn’t arrived yet. It was practically the only reason he was attending the party.
Just at that moment, the double doors of the hall quietly swung open, and a new figure stepped inside.
It was a beautiful woman with long dark blonde hair flowing down her back. The way she walked was a natural model’s strut, better than any celebrity.
Gradually, the other attendees in the hall also turned their eyes toward her—
”Ah…”
Hirose, too, was mesmerized by her appearance. This was the person he had been waiting for, someone he had admired for a long, long time.
”Nagisa Kurebayashi…!”
She was one of the incredibly rare S-Rank Adventurers in all of Japan, rumored to number fewer than ten.
—
Summary:
The glamorous ‘Treasure Next’ appreciation party quickly turns into a wild adventure when Hirose and the crew—all dressed in sharp formalwear—run into the powerful, larger-than-life Genroku Hidou, the grandfather of Kirino and the founder of the Adventurer’s Guild! This explosive encounter, filled with family drama and a shocking ice punch, is momentarily forgotten when the true celebrity arrives: the breathtaking, S-Rank Adventurer Nagisa Kurebayashi, the person Hirose has been waiting for. The luxury party is just getting started!
—
Character Insight:
Genroku Hidou is pure, unadulterated power and affection. His ‘Kangaroo’ Gift makes him an unstoppable force, a veteran Adventurer from the Dungeon’s initial rise, and he embodies the clash between the raw, exciting world of Gifts and the high-society setting of the banquet. His immediate, over-the-top reaction to Kirino showcases that even the most powerful figures are just grandpas when it comes to family.
—
Behind the Scene:
This chapter introduces two massively important figures: Genroku Hidou, the foundation of the Adventurer Guild system, and Nagisa Kurebayashi, the S-Rank Adventurer who is Hirose’s idol and the true target of his attendance. The chaotic, humorous interaction with Genroku serves to establish Kirino’s influential background and the absurdity of Gifts, setting the stage for the more serious and emotional encounter with Nagisa at the end.
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.
• Rindou Hibiki – Hirose’s cheerful, bold classmate who is the first to request his Beauty skill. Hibiki (F, pink bob hair, 158cm, F-cup) is outgoing, expressive about her interests, and quickly becomes Hirose’s girlfriend after an explicitly intimate scene. Her reactions help set the adult tone of the story.
• Yaginuma Asami – 16-year-old 1st-year, many inherited/stacking gifts, stores items, reflects attacks, teleports, resists conditions, mixed Japanese-English.
• Hourai Midori – 17-year-old classmate, daughter of a famous manager, target of assassination attempt. Have Pale Green Hair (Long).
• Akise Haruka – Thunder mage caught between energetic allies (F, 18yo, 157cm, short gray hair, C-cup). A background party member using a staff, Haruka adds depth to the magical world and shows the variety of personalities and powers in Hirose’s orbit.
• Housaka Mizuki – A famous, admired model and A-rank adventurer (F, 18yo, 162cm, long blonde hair, E-cup). With intimidating skills and high appeal, Mizuki complicates Hirose’s situation, representing the broader implications of beauty and strength in-universe.
• 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.
• 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 body looks much younger and is absurdly muscular, causing his suit to strain. He is fiercely, boisterously affectionate towards his granddaughter. He causes a major scene when he sees Kirino.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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