Chapter 94 Special Zone
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Hey, Tsuchimiya, do you go to the special zone often?”
Sogahara-senpai the Vice President turns around and asks me.
”No, I’ve only been to the nearest item shop a couple of times. I went to hang out there once after a launch event. I was curious about it, but I just haven’t had the time.”
Nishina-san (the shy one) and the others go to the special zone to buy ingredients, but I don’t get to go much. Most of the basic stuff is available at the shop anyway.
Even though the third period class has started, there are still quite a few students walking around the school. Sogahara-senpai and Kijima-senpai, his girlfriend (student council assistant), walk ahead, and Amahara-senpai and I follow behind them. These senpai are all super good-looking, so they really attract attention.
I’m not short, but among them, I’m the shortest. It feels like a commoner is mixed in with a bunch of nobles.
Honestly, I probably don’t even catch anyone’s eye.
”Surprisingly, it seems like everyone is in the same boat. The students on the 2nd floor don’t have much money, and the ones fighting on the 3rd floor don’t have much time.”
Kijima-senpai slows down and walks diagonally in front of me. I know both of them are Sogahara-senpai’s, but being surrounded by 2 elegant senpai makes me feel a lot of pressure.
”If we make it to the 3rd floor, we’ll meet our quota, but we’ll need more stuff too. We want to move out of the dorm and have our own rooms in the student dorms, plus we need to get weapons, armor, and items. It’ll be a while before we have extra time.”
Amahara-senpai, now in her uniform, nods in agreement. I thought she could wear casual clothes, but she said she can’t show any weakness as the Student Council president with the school situation being so unstable. She’s really serious. I worry if this is a good way for her to relax.
Maybe Amahara-senpai should wear a mask and go out incognito.
We walk through the entrance hall toward the school gate. The gate is at the southeast corner, and the wide road in front of it is called the special zone’s main street, where many shops line up past the student dorms A and B.
If you look closely, you can see a mix of old buildings that look like they’re from the Showa era and some new ones, along with stone buildings that don’t seem to belong in modern Japan.
The student dorms are a bit further in, with a few buildings and a 2nd-floor apartment in front of them.
”Is this the student dorm?”
As I step out of the school gate, I ask while looking at the apartments.
Sogahara-senpai answers my question.
”It seems like this is the dorm for the School Management Committee staff.”
They must be the maids and office staff who clean the dorms and school. There are probably quite a few cleaning staff.
Amahara-senpai turns to me and continues.
”You’ve never been to the student dorms, huh? The girls’ dorm is across the street near buildings B and C, and the boys’ dorm is near the teleportation facility.”
I must have passed by the boys’ dorm when I was running with Kanon. I remember there being a big, walled-off area that looked like a warehouse. That must be the student dorm with rooms for 12 people.
”The big building next to it is a luxury student dorm that’s set to open in July. I heard we can check it out in June.”
Kijima-senpai’s words make me look around. The sky is a bit cloudy, but overall, it’s a nice day.
I can definitely see a nice 5 or 6-story building behind both dorms. Together with the original student dorm, it seems like it could house all the students.
I wonder how many students are left in the school right now. I know a few from my class are on the death list, but since I returned to class, I don’t think anyone else has died.
The Student Council probably knows those numbers, but I’ll hold off on asking. It’s Amahara-senpai’s time to relax, and I shouldn’t bring up heavy topics.
When I walked past the boys’ dormitory, I was a bit cautious, but I got through without running into the Doromi Uryuu Goushuu (Mudshade Rainflow Legion) from Demiurge.
At that moment, I saw 2 girls standing inside the gate of the girls’ dormitory across from us. They bowed their heads, and Amahara-senpai nodded back at them.
”What was that about?”
I asked Sogahara-senpai, curious.
”Those are students from Togamine’s group. Since it’s her, she probably has someone waiting in the girls’ dorm just in case we get into trouble with the Mudshade Rainflow Legion.”
Looks like Togamine is doing her job. She might not be on my side, but she’s loyal to Amahara-senpai.
”So far, I’ve confirmed that besides third-year students Magara-kun and Doi-kun, the other leaders are either on campus or in the dungeon.”
Sogahara-senpai was casually walking around with just a wooden sword on his belt, but it seemed like the behind-the-scenes people were busy moving around.
”Now that I look closely, this town is pretty strange.”
Amahara-senpai was looking at the shops with interest.
”It seems like they have products from Japan just sitting on the shelves. I wonder how they got them here.”
”If people are bringing them back and forth, it means our chances of going back to Japan are much higher. The newspaper club is trying to find out more, but it looks like security is tight. They said it would be hard to get solid info right away, so they plan to take their time breaking through.”
The newspaper club is good at gathering information.
They might not be pros, but they probably do it better than I would. I don’t know what will happen when we find out the answer, but if I stay close to the Student Council, I might get the info first.
If the Student Council is in charge, all the important info will go to them, so being friendly with them is definitely a good idea.
If Kibakura takes control of the school, it’ll be tough for us since we’ll be in their sights, so it’s probably best to support the Student Council.
The Student Freedom Alliance, which I’ve left to Higurashi and Akiyama, is also supposed to work together with the Student Council, but Akiyama is the type to betray people, so if I let my guard down, I might get stabbed in the back like last time.
He is also someone Higurashi can’t trust completely.
”By the way, Tsuchimiya-kun was interested in that shop that adds magic to items. Sogahara-kun, can you show us the way?”
”Sure. Look, it’s right over there. Let’s stop by.”
Sogahara-senpai pointed to a dark wooden building that looked like a log cabin.
The door was open, and above it, there was a wooden sign hanging from a branch sticking out of the wall. The sign had a 6-pointed star on it, and in the middle of the star was a symbol that looked like an upside-down post office mark.
”Thank you!”
I bowed my head to the senpai who helped us out.
I’m not in any clubs, so I don’t have much experience interacting with senpai. I remember back when I was in middle school before transferring… but that was more like getting caught up in a fight than making friends. That experience isn’t really helpful. I should act like a gentleman when talking to teachers.
Luckily, these people are senpai who deserve respect. If I recognize that I’m the younger one, it shouldn’t be too hard. I’m a bit of a coward, so I worry about being rude, but Higurashi talks casually to anyone.
If she complains to me, all I can say is, “It’s Higurashi, so sorry.” I don’t want to copy her, but I wish I had that kind of thick skin.
I walked into the shop through the entrance under a sign that said “Kitani Enchant Shop” in Roman letters.
The small shop was neat, with swords and armor hanging on the walls.
There was a big window letting in light, and regular fluorescent lights on the ceiling. At the back, there was a sturdy wooden counter, and a calm-looking guy behind it greeted us.
”Welcome!”
He looked young, maybe a college student, and definitely Japanese. He was a bit tall but looked pretty normal, though he had a mature vibe for his age.
”Hi, Kitani-san. I brought some friends today.”
Sogahara-senpai replied cheerfully.
”Wow, as expected from Sogahara-kun. Both of them are really beautiful!”
While Sogahara-senpai scratched his head shyly, Kijima-senpai and Amahara-senpai greeted the shop owner.
”This is Tsuchimiya-kun. He’s interested in enchantments, so I brought him along.”
Sogahara-senpai introduced me to Kitani-san.
”I’m Tsuchimiya. I heard you can add defense effects to uniforms, and I want to know more about it.”
”Yeah, you can, but I wouldn’t recommend it unless you really need it or have a lot of money.”
”Is that so?”
Oh, this is a bit different from what I expected.
”To put it simply,” he explained, “adding the weakest defense magic gives a temporary +1 boost. The extra defense depends on the original armor’s strength. For example, metal armor benefits more than leather.”
I nodded as he continued, “So, if your shirt gets a +1, it won’t tear easily if you fall. That blazer of yours? It would feel like a stab-proof vest, but it still wouldn’t stop a monster’s hit. A +2 boost would be closer to chain mail. But remember, the cost depends on the size of what you’re protecting.”
”It’s 20,000 yen for a jacket or pants, and it lasts 10 hours,” he added. “There’s a month-long option, but that’s ten times more expensive. And if you want something permanent, that gets into alchemy territory, which is, naturally, a lot pricier.”
”So, it’s more efficient to add it to strong armor for the same amount of money?”
Since it’s an enchantment, the effect is temporary. I could take my shirt to an alchemist and turn it into a +3 magic item, but that would probably be super expensive.
”Besides that, if you go for a defense barrier or a magic barrier, it affects your whole body, unlike item-specific boosts. It’s common to add it to accessories that don’t break easily in battle. The price is 60,000 yen for 10 hours, but it doesn’t stack with protection magic, so it’s more like insurance until your magic-using friends learn it.”
”So, the defense barrier and armor boost are separate? Got it, that’s helpful.”
”I should mention that the barriers are different for physical and magic, but the armor boost works for both.”
I learned a lot, but I could probably ask Tina about this too.
”I haven’t put on a chest armor yet because I don’t want it to get in the way of my movements, but I might use it for peace of mind. I’m also curious about physical defense for the rearguard.”
Nishina-san, the magician, and Himeno, the thief, don’t have defense barriers. They seem fine for now, but it might be smart to wear them when we go to dangerous places. If we can’t collect treasure, we’ll definitely lose money. Kanon, the magic girl, has super high defense for some reason, so I’m not too worried about her.
”Wow, you guys seem pretty well off. By the way, your high school has already had a lot of parties reach the 3rd floor, right? That’s faster than other schools.”
”Actually, there was a party that broke through the 3rd floor yesterday. I plan to challenge the boss on the 3rd floor this week. But Tsuchimiya-kun here has already made it to the 4th floor!”
Sogahara-senpai patted my shoulder. If I were a girl, I might just fall for him right there.
”Wait!? That’s amazing! It’s only been a little over 2 weeks since the first dive, right?”
Kitani-san looked at me with a surprised expression.
”Well, I was lucky to have good party members.”
”He didn’t go back to school after his first dive and spent a whole week in the dungeon. During that time, just the two of them made it through the 3rd floor and came back. They say the staff calls him the ‘Last Survivor,’ and he’s definitely our top player.”
Sogahara-senpai casually put his arm around my shoulder, looking proud. If he did this to a girl, she would totally misunderstand. Is that okay?
”…That’s really amazing. I’ve never heard a story like that. When I did my first dive, I was running away from goblins while crying──ah!”
Kitani-san suddenly shut his mouth, looking like he realized something.
”So, I think we’ll be relying on you soon.”
Sogahara-senpai continued talking as if he didn’t hear anything.
”Yeah, I know that places like ours usually don’t get customers for the first month or so, but it looks like we might be able to start selling sooner than I thought.”
Kitani-san also looked relieved and joined in the conversation.
When we left the store, Kijima-senpai quietly spoke to Sogahara-senpai.
”That person is definitely a player, right?”
”Yeah. It seems like there’s something he can’t talk about, but thanks to Tsuchimiya-kun, we got some info.”
I’m not sure if it’s really because of me, but it feels like Sogahara-senpai managed to get the conversation going well.
”By the way, I’ve noticed that a lot of the other store employees look like Japanese college students. I was curious about that──are they all players?”
I wonder how they became employees. Could it be related to falling into sl*very? If they’re players, it might not be unrelated to us. That calm vibe they have could be because they’ve been through tough times in the dungeon.
”The Head of the Newspaper Club, Shimomura-kun, plans to look into that, but it seems we got some unexpected progress. Thanks, Tsuchimiya-kun.”
Amahara-senpai smiled at me, but I don’t think this is really my achievement.
After that, we walked around the shops on the main street. There were a few students shopping at the item shop, which is basically a general store.
The grocery store had a few vegetables on the shelves, but some of them looked unfamiliar.
For fresh seafood, they only had names and pictures displayed. When I asked a store employee, they said, “If we put them out, they’ll lose freshness,” so they probably have a Storage Bag. There were many fish I didn’t recognize, and it looked like they were selling some monster-like fish too.
After checking out the main street, Sogahara-senpai led us to a blacksmith and an alchemist shop that were off the main road.
As we strolled down the narrow back alley, we found a shop with a sign showing a flask with arms and legs drawn next to it.
”What kind of shop is this?”
”Not sure? I think the flask means it’s an alchemist, but let’s take a peek.”
Sogahara-senpai opened the door, and Kijima-senpai stepped into the dimly lit shop. Amahara-senpai and I followed behind.
”Eek!?”
Amahara-senpai let out a small scream and clung to my arm.
Inside the shop, there were no windows, and there was an empty counter in front with countless human arms and legs sticking out of the black walls.
There were big arms, small arms, thick legs, and thin legs. The lifeless limbs hung down, glowing white against the orange background.
”Wow… if this is just a collection, that’s a pretty bad taste.”
Sogahara-senpai said casually while looking around the room. Kijima-senpai was shrinking back, holding onto Sogahara-senpai’s arm.
”For something fake, it’s really well done. There’s no way there are people inside the walls.”
I reached out to touch one of the well-made arms while still holding onto Amahara-senpai.
Suddenly, the hanging limbs moved like startled cat fur, all reaching out toward me.
”Ahhh!!”
Amahara-senpai screamed and hugged me tightly.
”It’s okay, look.”
I had expected this kind of situation in a zombie game. I never thought it would actually happen.
I shook hands with the woman in front of me, who had thin arms. Her cold hand gripped mine back, but it didn’t feel strong at all.
”Tsuchimiya-kun! Tsuchimiya-kun!!”
Amahara-senpai, almost in tears, hugged me from behind and pulled me away from the wall, dragging me to the middle of the room.
I tried not to think about Sogahara-senpai watching us, but Amahara-senpai’s chest kept pressing against me. I hope Sogahara-senpai doesn’t get mad at me.
Then, I heard a quiet voice from the counter.
”Hehe… it’s rare to have customers…”
When I looked over, a door at the back of the counter opened, and a woman in a black robe stepped out from a dark hallway.
She had her hood pulled down low, so I couldn’t see her eyes well. She had a smile that looked a bit creepy, but she seemed young. Her black hair spilled down to her chest from under the hood.
This person doesn’t seem like a party person. She feels more relatable than Akiyama.
For some reason, Amahara-senpai clung to me tightly, trying to get away from the woman. I felt almost trapped.
”Sorry for bothering you, beautiful lady with the nice hair.”
Sogahara-senpai flashed a bright smile, showing his white teeth.
Seriously, this guy. If a shy person gets hit with that kind of cheerful attack, they might just disappear.
As expected, the woman in the black robe jumped a little and stared at Sogahara-senpai, her mouth hanging open in shock.
In the next moment, there was a loud crash, and Sogahara-senpai yelled, “Ouch!” in a very American way.
Kijima-senpai had stepped hard on Sogahara-senpai’s foot.
”Oh, I’m sorry. I tripped a bit. It didn’t hurt, did it, Takashi?”
”I-I’m fine. It’s nothing, Shiori.”
Kijima-senpai acted like it was just a little accident, but if there wasn’t a barrier, he could have broken a bone. I felt like I had seen something I shouldn’t have.
Amahara-senpai’s grip on me felt both scary and nice. No, that’s not right. It’s not wrong, but it feels different.
”What kind of shop is this?”
To break the tense atmosphere, I quickly asked the lady.
She looked at me with blank eyes and seemed to snap back to reality after a moment.
”Huh? Hehe… this is a shop that sells prosthetics… Hehehe…”
The lady glanced at Sogahara-senpai, blushing and playing with her hair in front of her chest.
”Prosthetics… so, are these prosthetic arms and legs? They look really well-made.”
The arms and legs coming out of the wall looked just like real ones.
”Hehe… normally, prosthetics made by alchemists are fused with the body, but this is my original design, and you can easily attach and detach them.”
The lady walked closer to the wall while glancing at Sogahara-senpai.
Sogahara-senpai was avoiding eye contact with both Kijima-senpai and the lady.
”See, there are metal parts at the joints. This allows for quick attachment and detachment, hehe…”
The lady reached for one of the arms coming out of the wall and easily removed it.
A round, silver metal plate with bumps was left on the wall, and the arm had a similar one-centimeter thick metal piece at the joint.
”Hehe, when you fight monsters, you can get seriously hurt… right now, you probably can’t afford it, but maybe you could get a finger or 2… hehe…”
”But is there any point in attaching and detaching them?”
”Well, some prosthetics have higher attack power than human arms and legs. Hehe… but if you get too used to the strange limbs, you might feel phantom pain when you switch back to human ones… ihihihi…”
Got it, you can switch to powerful robotic arms or legs.
Wait a second──
Suddenly, a bright idea hit me.
A flash of inspiration!
”Hey, can I switch this arm during a fight?”
”Uh, of course! But it takes training to move different shaped arms and legs quickly…”
So, switching to a robotic arm that looks the same is no problem.
”Then, if I cut off my arm right now, how long would it take to attach that robotic arm?”
”Uh…? Normally, it would take 3 days to safely connect it, but with my… my special attachment, it would only take half a day to attach. Then, you’d need about a week for rehab.”
A week, huh… If I decide to do this, it’ll have to be after everything settles down. I’ll need to figure out the money too.
”Cut off?”
”Tsuchimiya-kun, what are you talking about…”
My seniors looked confused and worried. I guess I should explain.
”Actually, I can use a wind magic called Blast that blows things away. So… it’s like a ‘rocket punch’.”
”Rocket punch!?”
”Huh? I don’t get it… Tsuchimiya-kun, what’s a rocket punch?”
Sogahara-senpai seemed to understand, but Kijima-senpai and Amahara-senpai didn’t know what it was.
Rocket punch is a classic move from old robot anime. I didn’t watch it when it was airing, but every guy dreams of having a cool weapon like that.
”Simply put, it’s a special move where you send your arm flying to attack. If the opponent is human, they’d be shocked.”
”I’m sure they’d be surprised, but what happens after you send your arm flying? That’s even more shocking.”
”If I have a spare arm, I can attach it right away. If I have multiple spares──ah!?”
”Tsuchimiya-kun?”
I had another bright idea.
A truly devilish idea!
That’s right, I have the ‘Storage’ from another dimension and Tina’s precise support.
If I keep pulling out arms, I can shoot rocket punches one after another.
Plus, the arms I send flying don’t have to be expensive robotic ones. I can just swap in a launch-ready arm that looks like a robotic arm the moment I get ready. Tina-san will handle that perfectly.
Even if the fake arms are a bit pricey, if my opponent is confused by the rapid-fire rocket punches, they won’t notice if I mix in mannequin arms, beer bottles, or dumbbells.
If I add some special effects to what I throw… wait a second.
What if I wrap Azure Thunder Fang around a dumbbell? How about combining it with Higurashi to shoot a beer bottle filled with gasoline using Flame Sword?
That way, I can attack with lightning and fire! This isn’t just a cool weapon; it’s a real special move!
”Hey, how much would it cost to cut off both arms and attach robotic ones?”
”Wait, Tsuchimiya-kun!?”
”Eek!? Uh, um, this is for replacing lost limbs, and cutting them off isn’t really part of the plan…”
”How much is it?!”
”Tsuchimiya-kun! Let’s calm down a bit!”
”Tsuchimiya-kun, don’t rush into this!”
Oh? I noticed I was surrounded by my senpais, shaking and looking worried. The shy girl was also backing away from me.
Yeah, I should probably cool down. Thinking about it, dumbbells and fire bottles aren’t rocket punches, and pushing a shy nerd isn’t a good idea.
I need to stay calm and act like a gentleman.
”Ah, it’s okay. I’m sorry. I’m not planning to buy a rocket punch right now. I just thought it might be worth considering in the future, depending on the cost.”
”That’s not worth it! Calm down, Tsuchimiya-kun! If you can use magic, you can just attack with magic instead of sending a robotic arm flying!”
Amahara-senpai made a good point, but that’s not the point. This isn’t about logic; it’s about the dream!
”Sogahara-senpai, you understand, right?”
”Sorry, I have no idea.”
Ugh, that’s right. This guy is a popular, good-looking dude, and his mindset is totally different from mine.
He wouldn’t get why I’d want to write ‘rocket punch’ in the special skills section of my resume. I thought Higurashi would understand, though.
”Let’s leave the store for today. When you want to use this place, promise me you’ll always consult either me or Higurashi-kun first, Tsuchimiya-kun.”
”Ah, okay. Got it.”
Amahara-senpai is coming at me with a serious vibe. I don’t really want to do anything right now, though.
”Hey, if he comes here, please contact Student Council Vice President Sogahara Takashi before starting any modifications.”
”Eeek!? O-Okay, Takashi-kun…”
For some reason, I’ve been put on a wanted list. I don’t think Sogahara-senpai should be smiling like that either. And there’s a creepy vibe coming from Kijima-senpai…
Feeling the tense atmosphere, Amahara-senpai grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the store.
Once outside, Amahara-senpai leaned in with a serious look.
”I want you to take better care of your body, Tsuchimiya-kun. If I see you next time without your arm, I might cry.”
Wait, you’d cry? I thought it would be funny to surprise everyone by showing off a prosthetic arm, but crying is not cool. Higurashi would probably laugh a lot, though. I wonder.
Kijima-senpai, who just came out of the store, also spoke up.
”If my boyfriend did something like that without asking me, I’d be really mad. What do you think Tsuchimiya-kun would feel if the roles were reversed?”
If the roles were reversed… wait, would Himeno get really angry? That would be bad.
Oh, I think I kinda get it now.
Just because it’s my body doesn’t mean I can do whatever I want. If Himeno hurt herself without telling me, I’d be upset too. Being in a relationship means you have to think about each other. It’s not just your own body; it’s about both of you.
I might not have been able to tell the difference between a girlfriend and a friend.
”I’m really sorry. I think I misunderstood. I’ll make sure to talk before making any decisions.”
I bowed my head sincerely. I’m really grateful to the senpai who pointed out my mistake and worried about me. Even if we have different values, I can trust and respect these senpai.
”Ugh… I’d be happier if this hand wasn’t fake.”
Amahara-senpai took my hand and squeezed it with a dissatisfied look.
For some reason, Sogahara-senpai smiled at me with sparkles around him.
”It’s great that you can admit your mistakes, Tsuchimiya-kun. Try not to worry her too much.”
Kijima-senpai turned around with a blank expression, and Sogahara-senpai’s smile faded as he looked away.
Since Amahara-senpai is trying to relax, I hope the tense vibe doesn’t come back.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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