Chapter 85 Taken By Girls
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
[Part 2/2]
We formed a line and advanced to the 3rd floor.
The top 2 in the vanguard were Maekawa-san and Hano-san (the gal), and although we occasionally got stuck, I was always ready to lend a hand from the back.
To begin with, Kanon and Nishina-san’s (the shy) support was too strong, and we intentionally left some monsters behind for the vanguard. Having 2 Magicians also helped, and after eating the Nectar fruit, their magic power increased, so they could fire magic shots non-stop without worrying about running out of magic.
So, I’m not really feeling tense, and Maekawa-san and Hano-san are chatting with Satou-san (the scout), occasionally including me in their conversation, and they seem to be having a good time. Behind me, Kanon and Nishina-san are stuck together, and Himeno is peeking out from behind them, making funny faces and whispering to each other. Tina has somehow snuck into their little group, but of course, the 3 of them haven’t noticed her.
”……Tsuchimiya-kun……in the back, I…… weakly……”
”……Eh! ……that’s for me too……”
”……I’ll do it too……this time……I’ll ask Tsuchimiya-senpai……”
”……it’s amazing……Hiromin is……everyone together……”
’Whoa! Is that for real?!’
Even though it seems like they’re having a blast behind me, I can’t help but feel anxious whenever I hear my name being mentioned.
But even then, whenever a Monster approaches, Satou-san and Himeno immediately go on high alert without me having to say a word, so I don’t really have to do anything. With this team, it seems like we still have a lot of leeway, and we can probably aim for the 4th floor without any issues.
I’m thinking that, and then we encounter a Goblin Shaman and a group of White Hobs.
The two Goblin Shamans cast attack magic, but Maekawa-san activates her “Water Mirror Shield” and blocks it without a problem.
Meanwhile, Kanon’s Fireball and Nishina-san’s rapid-fire Ice Arrows prevent the 6 White Hobs from getting close, and they’re all wiped out.
As we waited for the last White Hobgoblin to fall, Hano-san charged forward with Gladius and slashed the Goblin Shaman. Meanwhile, Himeno, who had probably gotten bored, quickly closed the distance and was about to counterattack with Hano-san’s returning sword, but by then, the last Goblin Shaman had already been defeated.
Yeah, it was way too easy.
While I was doing “it” with Kanon, Himeno and Satou-san reached the point we had scouted.
”If we take too long, the Undead will start pouring in, so let’s call it a day for now.”
I called out, and no one objected, so we decided to take a short break before heading back.
”Hano-san, you were using a dagger all day today, weren’t you?”
I casually asked Hano-san (the gal), who had approached me during the break.
”Yeah. The +2 bonus really makes a difference, and the cutting power is completely different. I’ve decided to sell this White Lady, by the way.”
”What?! But that’s the weapon you got as a gift, right? Aren’t you going to feel bad about selling it?”
According to Tina, White Lady has even stronger abilities hidden within. However, it’s very proud and only lends its power to a worthy owner, increasing its strength according to their qualifications. I don’t know what kind of qualifications are required, but somehow, I think White Lady’s name and Hano-san’s dark-haired, dark-skinned gal persona don’t match well.
”Yeah. But if I’m gonna entrust my life to it, it’s gotta be a strong weapon, and I think this kid’s time is up. Sorry to say, but this kid can’t keep up with my growth anymore. I’m grateful for all the help it’s given me, but it’s time to sell it off and use the money to have some fun with everyone――karaoke, BBQ, and all that. That kid may look pretty, but it’s gonna fetch a high price. And hey, maybe I can even treat myself to a sushi feast afterwards!”
Hano-san seems dead serious about selling off White Lady. I think it’s better to teach her that it’s still a powerful weapon ahead of its time. If I tell her it’s “qualified,” she might get weirded out, after all if she sells it, there’s no taking it back. And with its prideful nature, it might just get angry and start causing trouble if she tries to naturalize it. That’s a bit worrying.
Just as I was about to say something, White Lady started making a rattling noise in its scabbard and began to shake.
”What’s going on?!”
Hano-san was shocked and grabbed the hilt of White Lady at her waist, but the shaking only got more intense.
Everyone was staring at Hano-san, and White Lady flashed a bright light like a camera flash.
”What’s happening?! What’s going on?!”
The shaking stopped, and Hano-san was panicking with a flustered face.
’Ah… it seems the correction value of that thin sword has gone up to +2.’
Whoa… I think it’s not so much that it’s “qualified” as it is that White Lady just couldn’t handle being teased anymore. That sword really does have a mind of its own, doesn’t it?
”Hano-san, White Lady’s correction value has gone up to +2!”
”What?! No way! What’s going on?!”
As Hano-san drew out the White Lady, I felt like the blade sparkled a bit and its power increased.
”Whoa, amazing! This kid’s got spirit! Alright, if that’s the case, I’ll use it! You’ve got to make an effort to become a sword worthy of me!”
Oh, stop teasing.
The image of a lady raising an eyebrow and clicking her tongue in annoyance floated in my mind.
”We’ve all reached level 4, but what should we do to celebrate? I was thinking of using the money from selling this kid to have a big party.”
”We did something big just yesterday, so maybe we should keep it simple today? We still have to hear Lugia-san’s explanation on the abandoned floor later, right?”
Maekawa-san glanced at me with a sideways gaze.
”Yeah. I think it’s better if we don’t talk about Valeria’s situation here.”
”Well, if we reveal everything, we don’t know what will happen to Valeria. I think it’s enough if just the 3 of us――me (Satou-san), Hiromi, and Tsuchimiya-kun――are present for the interrogation.”
”Well, I’m gonna blurt out something careless, aren’t I?”
Satou-san’s proposal was approved by Hano-san.
”Alright, Chikako-chan (the gall) and I will cook dinner and wait. If you’d like, we can make some for everyone else too.”
Nishina-san asked Himeno and Kanon.
”Is it okay? Please let us help with the cooking from the start!”
”Yes, please! I’d love to!”
Tonight, we’d get to eat Nishina-san’s homemade cooking again. The school cafeteria closes pretty early, so it’s a big help.
Since Valeria is here and I have the Nectar Tree, I think it’s okay to talk about everything else. Lisphy-san the woman dorm manager already knows about the Spirit King’s protection, and I don’t have anything to hide. I did kill a student from another school, but that was self-defense.
After we finished talking, we headed back, returning to the Return Magic Circle.
* * *
When we returned to the academy using the Return Magic Circle, we were told by the staff to go to a separate room.
I left Maekawa-san and Satou-san behind, and it seems like everyone else is going to the special zone to buy food.
The staff guided me, and the 3 of us headed to the separate room. It was a room similar to the one used for Himeno’s interview.
I took a seat at the large marble table, and soon, Lugia-san, the glasses staff member, and a female secretary walked in. I stood up and bowed my head. Lugia-san and the others also bowed their heads before taking their seats.
”I’m sorry for the trouble.”
”No need to apologize. I was the one who made a mistake.”
”Thank you for your cooperation. So, can you tell us about what happened when you were sent to the abandoned floor?”
Then, I told them about what happened that day.
”Huh, a high-ranking spirit? ……F-Floor Master!? F, fuuun………what? The spirit sword Varniora!? ? H-huhh………w, wait…you killed a student from another school!? ……no way! The Spirit King………”
After I finished talking, Lugia-san had a deadpan expression.
”――And that’s it. I think killing a student from another school was self-defense, so I don’t think it’s a problem, right?”
”That’s not a problem. In reality, if you go to even deeper floors, the exploration areas will overlap and you might end up fighting students from other schools, right?”
”Ah, is that so?”
It seems like we’ll have plenty of opportunities to encounter students from other schools. The phrase ‘going to deeper floors’ means that if we’re not careful, we might end up in a one-sided battle due to the difference in combat power. I think there must be someone who adjusts the balance around that area, considering the existence of Floor Masters.
I tried asking Valeria about it, but she’s bound by her contract and can’t say much. Or rather, Valeria got teleported to this island right away, so she doesn’t know much about it either.
”Eh~, it’s not like we can verify this, but if we submit a report like this, I’ll be called out again and asked all sorts of questions… haha… ahaha…”
Lugia-san is giving a resigned laugh with a hollow look in her eyes.
”Do you need Shimaki (the black-hair) and Sagara (the blond hair)’s player cards?”
”Yes, we need them! If we don’t have any evidence, they’ll think you’re just making up some crazy story!”
Lugia-san turns her face towards us, her eyes fixed intently.
Tina hands over the two player cards to Lugia-san.
The two player cards have slightly different shades of orange, one being a bright, yellowish orange and the other a deeper, more vibrant orange.
”Level 16 and Level 17, huh… You guys really did take down an expert-level party, didn’t you?… I had a hunch when I saw the plate mail with the wind hole in it.”
Lugia-san, being a staff member of the teleportation facility, can immediately tell the level from the color of the card.
”We only stalled for time by luring the enemy, but… it was all up to Tsuchimiya-kun to take them down.”
Maekawa-san turned her gaze on me, smiling.
”I mean, even if it’s just a Beginner Level, it’s unbelievable that you guys could withstand an Expert Level attack like that.”
”It’s because we had the help of a high-ranking spirit. Our skills and magic powers were greatly amplified.”
Satou-san replied, and I could sense Valeria’s excitement, as if she was wagging her tail. I was worried she might start bragging about it.
”I see. You were in a state similar to a high-ranking spirit user. That’s an extremely rare case, though…”
I see. Valeria was lending us her power voluntarily, but normally, a spirit user wouldn’t be able to do that unless they had a contract with the spirit.
”By the way, these guys are the same students from the same school as the necromancer who attacked Himeno-san.”
”Oh, is that so?”
It’s not like it matters anymore, since they’re already dead, but…
This time, it was an incident that occurred in a neutral area, the abandoned floor, so it’s not like the case where Himeno was attacked in our territory. I think it’s just a coincidence that we encountered them in the abandoned floor, but I’ll share the information with Higurashi later.
After we finished talking, we were released right away.
We received the list of appraised items and finished distributing the results at the buying counter.
The time was around 6 pm.
All that was left was to head back to the dormitory──or so I thought, when I saw Higurashi waiting for me in the teleportation facility’s lobby.
”Hey, senpai. You must be tired.”
”Hey, Higurashi. Did you come to pick me up?”
”Ah, I just got a message from Asagiri-san that you are back. I was about to give up and head back myself, but the timing is perfect. We’re going to have a meeting in the Student Council room on the 3rd floor to explain the floor boss.”
”About Owl Bear? That’s pretty sudden, isn’t it?”
Yeah, we did promise to reveal information about Owl Bear in the Student Council meeting yesterday. I thought Higurashi would take care of it, but…
”Actually, we just got word that Kibakura-senpai’s party has cleared the 3rd floor. One of the supporters found the boss room and has been observing it, so they’re requesting that we release the information ASAP. I can handle explaining the characteristics, but strategy-wise, Tsuchimiya-senpai is more qualified.”
”Is that so? We’ve been fighting OwlBear variants in pairs, and Higurashi is good at coming up with strategies based on the monster’s characteristics, don’t you think?”
”Yeah, but come on! Let’s go show your faces to Amahara-senpai!”
”Uh, okay?”
I mean, we just met yesterday, but I guess we should keep in touch regularly from now on.
But, Amahara-senpai is really beautiful, and I get a little nervous around her… or maybe it’s because we’re too close? Yeah, I was really nervous during yesterday’s meeting too. Explaining things in front of so many people is pressure, and I’d rather leave it to Higurashi.
”I see, we’ll head back to the dorm first. Tomoko (Nishina) and the others are preparing dinner, so Asuka-chan, you should come eat with us too.”
”No, it would be better if Maekawa-senpai and Satou-senpai came too.”
”Really?”
”I also don’t think we’d be of any help, though.”
Maekawa-san and Satou-san have these puzzled looks on their faces. I’m a bit lost too.
”Maekawa-senpai and the others just need to sit down and listen to Tsuchimiya-senpai’s explanation. If Tsuchimiya-senpai is planning to go to the 4th floor with the current lineup, wouldn’t it be better to explain it to Maekawa-senpai and the others instead of explaining it to a bunch of people? It’s not like we’re going to explain it to just anyone, after all.”
”Ah, that’s true…”
I was going to explain our strategy for fighting Owl Bear within reasonable limits, and I was thinking of getting Maekawa-san and the others to help with that too.
It seems like Higurashi has seen right through my people-pleasing nature. She must be trying to get me to explain it and boost my reputation at the same time. Higurashi is always calculating things in her own way.
Higurashi is already busy moving things forward for me, and I don’t want to hold her back with my selfishness.
”As Higurashi says, it would be better if the two of you were there. If Maekawa-san and Satou-san are okay with it, would you like to come together?”
”That’s fine with me.”
”If that’s the case, I’ll cooperate with you.”
Huh!? Higurashi just smiled for a second. Is she planning something else too?!
But it can’t be avoided now. Let’s pray it’s not a deadly trap.
We, 4 of us, headed towards the Student Council’s exclusive building.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.