Chapter 70 Search For Tsuchimiya!
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Alright, Tsukuba-kun, I’m counting on you for intelligence gathering and recruiting candidates.”
The Vice President Sogahara Takashi sat on a pipe chair, flashing a dazzling smile at Secretary Tsukuba that could melt any woman’s heart. It seemed like there was a sparkling effect around him.
Even if he’s the top candidate…
Secretary Tsukuba met his gaze, but Vice President Sogahara pretended not to notice and maintained his sparkling, carefree smile.
(Sigh… It’s a request from a respected senpai, so I guess I have no choice. If we don’t act soon, Amahara-senpai might collapse.)
”…Alright, I understand.”
Secretary Tsukuba left the Student Council building with heavy steps and entered the adjacent Building C. On the first floor of Building C, there is the Newspaper Club room, where someone is always present.
After knocking on the door with a sign that says ‘Newspaper Club’ and opening it, the students working at the desks looked up.
”Hey, Tsukuba-kun.”
A tall, slender male student stood up with a smile.
This guy is Shimomura Kiyoshi, a third-year student and the head of the Newspaper Club.
”Can I talk to you now, Shimomura-senpai?”
”Of course. Come over here.”
Although there were a sofa and a low table right in front of the entrance, Head of the Newspaper Club Shimomura guided Secretary Tsukuba to the other side of the screen at the back of the desk. There was also a reception set here, which they used depending on the visitor.
Secretary Tsukuba crossed the desk, glancing at the mountain of smartphones connected to many charging cables, and sat down on the sofa behind the folding screen. The head of the Newspaper Club Shimomura, sitting in front, immediately spoke up.
”Well~, the Student Council really did it this time. You guys ignited the powder keg that had been smoldering for a while. Demiurge, who was treating the girls like sl*ves, is going to take a big hit. The discipline of regular students is going to be even more chaotic from now on.”
For some reason, the head of the Newspaper Club Shimomura seemed pleased, with a twisted smile on his lips.
”Just so you know, that wasn’t the Student Council’s policy; it was Togamine going rogue.”
”I get it. I know Amahara-san’s character too. So, what’s going to happen to Togamine-kun?”
”She’s going to be suspended in the headquarters for a few days. We can’t afford to fight Demiurge without her, so it can’t be helped.”
”Well, it’s a hassle to be too strict and have her leave, and then a new organization is formed.”
”Please don’t say scary things.”
The idea of Togamine creating a new organization is unsettling. If she decides to do it, Togamine would likely go through with it. However, thanks to her strong loyalty for Amahara, for now, it’s possible to keep an eye on things.
”So, what do you want to know? Kibakura Reiji (leader of Demiurge) is as usual inside the dungeon, but he plans to switch out members in the afternoon, so by then, news of the recent commotion will likely reach him.”
”I understand that. But more importantly, we’re looking for capable students who can support the Student Council. Do you know anyone who fits the bill?”
”Let’s see, when it comes to skilled individuals, Yanagi-kun, the captain of the kendo club, is already helping out the Student Council. Kousaka-san, who leads the girls’ kendo club, seems to have remained neutral for now. As for Asagiri-san the ‘Shooting Star,’ she used to give off an assassin-like vibe, but apparently she got a boyfriend last week, and since then, she’s been in a great mood and her popularity has shot up. There are many students who don’t disclose their achievements, so I believe there are still hidden talents out there.”
”Are there any well-behaved male students?”
”If we’re talking about those with good behavior, the options become limited. It also depends on what the school deems acceptable.”
Head of the Newspaper Club Shimomura tilted his head and placed his index and middle fingers against his temple. It was his habit when he was deep in thought.
”Aoi-kun, a 2nd-year student, is still unknown but seems to be kind to the 1st-floor group as a solo Swordsman. He happened to be taken care of by an acquaintance. It seems his skills are quite impressive. Joujima-kun, a 3rd-year student, reportedly reached the 3rd floor yesterday with a solo party. Kubo-kun, a 2nd-year student, is also progressing smoothly on the 3rd floor with his party, but we don’t know much about his personality. There are other talented newcomers emerging, but they don’t seem to have a good reputation in terms of behavior.”
”Aoi-kun, a 2nd-year student, and Joujima-senpai, a 3rd-year student, huh…”
Those are the current candidates. Let’s check the student roster, confirm their classes. It’s still during class, so if I’m lucky, I might catch a glimpse of their faces.
”Oh, by the way, Tsukuba-kun, have you heard of ‘Last Surviver’?”
Head of the Newspaper Club Shimomura suddenly muttered as if remembering something.
”‘Last Surviver’…? No, I haven’t heard of it. What is it?”
”It’s just a rumor, but it seems that a student who survived a week after the first dive has returned.”
”What!? That can’t be true. Are you saying that after their first dive, they wandered through the dungeon for a week, found a magic circle on their own, and came back? If they were that skilled, it would have already become a big topic.”
”So, it’s just a rumor. It seems that a male-female duo who returned during the dive rush exactly a week ago. Those two were taken to a separate room by the staff without knowing about player cards or log crystals. After that, the staff suddenly became busy, and there are students who overheard them talking about the ‘Last Survivor of the First Dive’.”
”…That’s probably just a rumor. It’s a pretty detailed story, but if there are that many witnesses, there should be at least one acquaintance among them, right? If they really are a survivor of the First Dive, their level must be quite high, and we should be hearing more about it from the dungeon.”
Even as he said that, Secretary Tsukuba’s heart rate was rising. Just a while ago, he had heard from the upperclassmen about a student with too many signs.
That student, on the day of the First Dive, never returned after disappearing into the depths of the dungeon with a female student. And, being the one who single-handedly defeated a horde of hobgoblins, with messy bangs covering his eyes, no one has seen his true face.
”Yeah, that’s true. I thought if it was a real story, rumors would start spreading soon, but there’s been no follow-up. I’m debating whether to assign someone to it. We’re short on manpower right now, and there’s so much information flying around that unless it’s something significant, it might get buried.”
”Is that so… Anyway, please remember that we are looking for someone who seems to have good character and can contribute immediately. We will share any information we can gather as well.”
”Got it. I’m neutral, so I’m not taking sides with the Student Council. But, it’s hard to ignore stories like classrooms being attacked; it’s not something we can just brush off as someone else’s problem. Let’s keep the source of information about Doi’s situation a secret.”
”I understand. I haven’t told the president either, so don’t worry. If anything happens, I’ll let you know again.”
Secretary Tsukuba stood up and bowed deeply to the Head of the Newspaper Club Shimomura. At the same time, the chime signaling the end of the second period began to ring.
”Well then, take care.”
Secretary Tsukuba quickly left the Newspaper Club room and headed towards Building B.
The destination was Class 2-D,
Takeru Tsuchimiya’s classroom.
* * *
Secretary Tsukuba stopped in front of the shop, calmly gathering his thoughts.
The last survivor of the First Dive that the staff at the teleportation facility had talked about. If that was true, they would be the last survivor to return a week after the First Dive. It might sound unbelievable, but when he considers the person named Tsuchimiya Takeru, the situation strangely makes sense.
Was he really alive? If so, why hasn’t it been talked about even after a week? If he hasn’t dived back into the dungeon since returning, it could be possible. Or maybe, how far did he actually dive? If he’s advancing to a place where no one has reached yet, it’s natural that there are no sighting reports.
Before he knew it, his hands were trembling with an indescribable excitement. Secretary Tsukuba clenched his fists tightly and started walking.
When he goes up the stairs at the end of the hallway, the classroom on the left is Class 2-D. It’s break time, so the door is left open. Class C, where Secretary Tsukuba is, is in Building A, so he doesn’t usually come around here.
As he looked into the classroom from the hallway, thinking about how this was the classroom targeted by Doi’s attack, it suddenly dawned on him. The trigger was the incident where this classroom defeated Demiurge’s squad… and if Tsuchimiya Takeru was in this classroom, would he have joined that battle? And it should have been Togamine who investigated that incident.
During the first dive, Togamine was attacked by a group of hobgoblins with Amahara-senpai. It’s highly likely that Togamine knows Tsuchimiya Takeru. Could it be that Togamine witnessed the moment when Amahara-senpai fell in love? It’s so obvious that Togamine is head over heels for Amahara-senpai that she might have hidden Tsuchimiya Takeru’s existence.
Doubts started to arise, but the idea that Tsuchimiya Takeru is alive is just a convenient fantasy. Despite thinking that, Secretary Tsukuba had a strong premonition.
Nervously stepping into the classroom, some noticed the unfamiliar Secretary Tsukuba and stared intently in his direction.
In this classroom, it’s pretty peaceful and calm. The Demiurge group members aren’t dominating, and there’s no intense conflict between boys and girls or groups. It maintains a soft atmosphere like when they were in Japan, and classrooms like this can quickly unite and have strong defense against outside threats if there’s a trigger.
Secretary Tsukuba decided to talk to a girl sitting nearby. Just like how Evold girls are cautious around boys of the opposite sex, boys tend to relax their guard when interacting with girls.
”Sorry, can I ask you something?”
With a deliberately gentle tone, the two girls talking across the desk looked up at Secretary Tsukuba. Their slightly surprised expressions softened into smiles as soon as they saw Secretary Tsukuba.
”Oh, yes. What is it?”
”Oh, you’re cute.”
Their eyes briefly glanced down at Secretary Tsukuba’s crotch before returning to meet his gaze.
He has gotten used to it, but when he heard before that girls can immediately tell when someone’s looking at their chest, he thought, “Is that some kind of superpower?” he didn’t expect it to be so obvious.
While thinking that, Secretary Tsukuba unintentionally checked out their chest, and it seems like they totally noticed his gaze.
”Is Tsuchimiya Takeru around?”
”Oh, Tsuchimiya-kun? He just left a little while ago.”
”What!? S-So he’s still alive after all!”
The response was so ordinary, yet the impact was unexpectedly huge.
”You know Tsuchimiya-kun? It’s been a week and I thought he was dead. Well, it’s not like I’d expect him to come back.”
”Tsuchimiya-kun doesn’t seem like the type to go out of his way to tell people things.”
”That’s right. He has no intention of interacting as usual, and he has been sleeping until Maekawa-san pokes him.”
The female students were laughing happily, but Secretary Tsukuba was standing there dumbfounded. Something intense was welling up in his chest, as if they were about to connect the circuits and scream out loud.
Being alive… that miraculous event has already become a normal part of everyday life in this classroom.
He needs to report to senpai immediately…! No, calm down. First, he needs to meet the person in question and confirm.
”Do you know where Tsuchimiya-kun went?”
”Well… a scary lady from the teleportation facility who always crosses her arms with a fierce attitude came and took him away.”
”Yes, he seemed as calm as ever, with a relaxed expression saying ‘I’m fine’.”
”He was cute, right? Just looking at that face makes me feel excited multiple times.”
”Was he taken away by the staff!?”
Did they catch him doing something against the rules? Even though he just found it, if Tsuchimiya Takeru get thrown into solitary confinement, he won’t be able to meet him for several days.
”Darn it… at this timing! Is it a staff member from the teleportation facility! Alright, I’ll go check it out! Thanks a lot!”
Secretary Tsukuba rushed out of the classroom and headed towards the teleportation facility. If he hurried, he might still catch up.
However, he arrived at the teleportation facility without seeing anyone who seemed to be the person he was looking for.
”I hope I didn’t miss him…?”
He looked back towards the entrance of the school building, but still couldn’t spot anyone who seemed to be the right person.
”Did I go to the wrong destination?”
Reluctantly, he entered the teleportation facility, and from the open door of the teleportation room, he saw a giant figure entering the lobby.
”!!”
Secretary Tsukuba quickly hid his presence and blended into a nearby party.
In his line of sight was Kibakura Reiji, the leader of Demiurge, accompanied by his entourage.
He’s huge! This guy keeps getting bigger every time he sees him.
Back when he was in Japan, he was already a giant at 190cm (6’23ft), but now he’s clearly over 2m (6’56ft) tall.
His grumpy stride as he walks makes the students watching from a distance retreat even further, feeling his intimidating presence.
Secretary Tsukuba moved to a more crowded area to blend in with the crowd.
”So, what’s Doi up to?”
”Yes, he’s already been released but he’s holed up in his room and won’t come out.”
”Tch… how pathetic.”
Secretary Tsukuba shuddered in fear as he watched Kibakura Reiji, who was heading towards the exit while chatting with his entourage.
His estimated height is 230cm (7’54ft) tall. The way his muscles are built makes him look even larger than his height. He could probably take down a floor boss ogre with his bare hands.
He’s a guy known as the strongest in the school alongside Vice President Sogahara, but it’s hard to imagine anyone in the school who can beat him with his combat skills and magic sealed.
At that moment, Kibakura’s eyes moved sharply, glaring at Secretary Tsukuba from the corner of his eye.
Found you!
A sense of fear washed over him as if he had locked eyes with a monster, freezing him in place. However, Kibakura just slightly raised his lips, passing by Secretary Tsukuba nonchalantly without showing any interest.
As Kibakura disappeared from the teleportation facility, Secretary Tsukuba felt his strength drain away, almost collapsing. Before he knew it, he was drenched in sweat all over his body.
Nevertheless, he gathered his resolve and slipped through the door of the café attached to the lobby. As he walked through the spacious interior, he noticed a familiar group seated at a table in the back.
”Hey, Secretary Tsukuba, what’s up?”
Approaching Secretary Tsukuba, Inami Hitomi, the treasurer, noticed and called out to him.
”Kibakura has finished the dive and returned. Inami Hitomi, please head back to the main building immediately. I’ll keep an eye on Kibakura, so send some of my team members over.”
”What!? O-Okay, I got it. Endou and the others, please bring back Sugimoto Rikka!”
Turning away from Treasurer Inami Hitomi giving instructions at the next table, Secretary Tsukuba followed after Kibakura, rushing out of the teleportation facility.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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