Chapter 34 Awakening in Kujukuri Town
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
When I opened my eyes, I was in a white room.
White walls. A cold floor. Fluorescent lights casting a hard, sterile glow.
It looked like a hospital room, the kind I remembered from the modern world. But this one felt old—too cold, too clean. Modern hospitals tried to be warm and gentle, but this place had the lifeless chill of a forgotten ward or a mental asylum. The air itself seemed to freeze anything human inside it.
I turned my head slightly. Beside the bed stood an IV stand. The thin needle hung loosely from a rubber tube, swaying gently as if its job was already done. The IV pack above it was empty and wrinkled. I must have been asleep for quite a while.
Ah… so I came back here after all.
…Everything that happened—it was just a fantasy conjured by my sick body. The dungeon, the battles, the strange world—none of it was real.
I sighed and rolled over.
And then I saw them—two large, soft shapes right beside me.
Before I could even think, my hand moved on its own. Warm. Smooth. Comforting. My eyes stung, and something inside me melted. The weight of fear and loneliness faded away like snow under sunlight.
”This room looks way too much like that country hospital I was in before… I really thought for a second I was dreaming again…”
As my senses slowly returned, I realized someone was holding me—gently, warmly. A woman’s arms wrapped around me, her scent soft and familiar. My whole body relaxed as if I had finally found the place I was meant to be. Her chest pressed against me, sharing its heat. My mind drifted, safe and calm.
It should have been suffocating, but instead it felt right—like coming home. Like remembering who I was before everything began.
Then I noticed what I was doing.
The patient clothes I wore were half open, and I was—God—suckling her breast.
The shape, the taste, the warmth—I knew them. I had memorized them.
”…Good morning,” she said softly.
”Good morning,” I answered, automatically.
That’s when I realized—the woman beside me was Maggot.
My Imperial Guard. The first person I grew close to. My gentle, big-hearted attendant. My big sister figure with the kind smile and the large breasts.
A true beauty, with calm Japanese grace and the sharp eyes of a samurai’s daughter.
But… why was she here? I was supposed to be hospitalized.
”You’re awake,” she said.
”Maggot? How—why are you here? I don’t remember anything after…”
She didn’t answer. Her arms only tightened.
”Maggot?”
”…Please, forgive me,” she whispered.
”For what?”
”Just… stay like this.”
”Uh… what?”
”Please.”
I didn’t understand, but I stayed still. She kept holding me, silent and strong.
Her embrace was gentle yet desperate, as if she were afraid I might vanish if she let go.
Well, if that’s what she wanted, fine.
I sucked idly at her breast for a while, then stopped and brushed my fingers over her skin, her face, her hair. She didn’t react at all—not a word, not even a frown.
Completely calm. Completely still.
A very patient older sister.
After some time, she finally let me go.
”I was afraid of losing you, my lord,” she said quietly.
”I came back, didn’t I?”
”Yes… and that is all that matters.”
Her face looked calm, but her eyes were full of sorrow—like a stray dog that had lost its home. She must have been terribly worried.
I stroked her hair gently. “You know, patting an older sister’s head feels kind of nice.”
Her brown, wavy hair caught the light from the ceiling and glowed softly, spreading across the bed like a field of golden wheat. It was smooth and light beneath my fingers, like silk. For a while, I played with it—twisting, searching for split ends, doing nothing important at all. She didn’t protest. She simply stayed by my side.
When I’d finally had enough, she straightened her clothes and stood. Then she knelt by the bed, back straight, eyes calm.
”You returned to Kujukuri Town, bringing Trash with you,” she began. “After certain events, a doctor examined you. Your consciousness returned only a short while ago.”
”I see… so I was asleep all that time.”
”Yes. You have been unconscious for two full days. You were feverish and restless, but you seem to remember none of it.”
”Not at all. I guess it was pretty bad, huh?”
She nodded. “They said it was exhaustion—physical and mental. Rest, and you will recover soon.”
”So just the usual, huh. That’s good. Oh—wait! What about Trash? Is she okay?”
I sat up, panicked. I’d completely forgotten—Trash had been hurt, worse than me. She should’ve seen the doctor first.
But the room was empty except for us.
”She took a lot of hits protecting me. And what about the others? And that whole thing with C—”
”I heard the details from Trash herself,” Maggot interrupted gently. “But please, my lord, think of your own recovery first.”
”I can’t just—”
”There’s no need for worry. Trash is safe. She is speaking with the town assembly about what happened.”
”And the others?” I asked, my voice still tense.
”The Imperial Guards who stayed behind in Ichihara are now on their way here to join us.”
Hearing that, I finally let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.
Everyone we’d lost contact with since that day was safe—and they knew I was alive too.
”That’s good to hear.”
As I relaxed, Maggot watched me closely, her expression full of quiet concern.
”Do you feel any pain? Are you hungry?”
”I’m fine. No injuries, just a bit light-headed.”
Her shoulders softened with relief. She looked pale, though—probably from staying up the whole time taking care of me. It would be ridiculous if she got sick from worrying about a sick person.
I decided to do as she said and rest quietly for now.
When I told her that, she nodded and left the room.
”…Man,” I muttered once I was alone, “that was a lot. Getting attacked by monsters, lost in that dungeon, using that weird magic rod for the first time… I think that was the most intense experience of my life.”
I exhaled deeply and sank back into the bed. For a while, I just lay there, staring at the ceiling, letting time drift by.
Thanks to the IV, the fever had gone down.
I wondered how they even managed IVs here in Kujukuri—then remembered that the technique had existed for centuries. Perhaps the town’s advanced technology, hidden beneath its ordinary facade, had preserved such medical practices.
As I rested, my mind began replaying everything that had happened. The same scenes looping over and over.
Guess I’m still tired, I thought.
Too much had happened too fast. Every sight, every sound, every emotion from that week was still burned into my memory. The monsters, the strange phenomena that defied science, the way men and women seemed to have different rules about who lived and who died.
The common sense I brought from Earth had completely collapsed.
On Earth, wild animals were just animals. But here—monsters and dungeons were disasters born beyond reason, filled with mysteries no science could reach. And because of the gender imbalance, women would die for men without hesitation.
”I still can’t get used to that,” I murmured. “The idea that it’s natural for someone to die for someone else… I’m just an ordinary guy.”
Until now, I’d seen everything from a distance, like watching a play from a high balcony. But then the world shoved me off the stage and made me part of the story.
Life here had its own weight, its own cruelty—and now I finally felt it.
But the price of that understanding was too high.
Would this sense of distance ever fade?
Maybe it came from growing up in a world where people said things like “I’d die for you” without meaning it.
I never thought I’d see what it actually looked like when someone did.
”Trash mentioned it was some kind of alien ship,” I remembered. “So this place is still part of the dungeon? It doesn’t feel that way.”
I got out of bed and traced my hand along the white wall.
The room felt too normal, too quiet. Yet something beneath the surface was wrong.
This white room, they said, was just one small section inside an alien ship—a layer within the dungeon itself.
Kujukuri Town was built inside the dungeon.
Even knowing that, it still looked like an ordinary hospital room.
That’s the strange part about Kujukuri—you can never tell if something’s a machine, a relic, or just another everyday object.
Apparently, if you go beyond the town’s outer gate to the second floor, you’ll find killing machines and alien creatures roaming freely.
From that floor onward, the dungeon even produces guns and flash grenades—relics of a future civilization.
And somewhere deep inside it all, they discovered the learning simulation machine that caused my disappearance. It was offered to Ichihara and used by a young boy there. The thought made me uneasy.
I stared at one corner of the room, half expecting some horrible monster to materialize.
But nothing came.
”Good,” I sighed. “No trauma. No PTSD.”
With that, I rubbed my temples and stared up at the ceiling, lost in thought as the dull discomfort of my fever persisted.
Why is it that when you have a slight fever, you can’t sleep even though that’s all your body wants? The dull discomfort just drags on endlessly.
After a while, just as my stomach began to rumble, Maggot came in carrying a tray.
”I’ve prepared a light meal,” she said.
”Wow, perfect timing. You really are amazing, Maggot—my stomach’s been… wait, what is that?”
I had started a dumb joke, but it died instantly when I saw what she was holding.
”Please eat only what you can. Take it slowly.”
I stared at the bowl of thin, grayish porridge.
Was she serious?
”It’s been boiled for easy digestion,” she explained calmly. “Seasoned with a little salt and sugar.”
”Um, Maggot, I appreciate it, really. But can I be honest?”
”Think of it as medicine,” she said simply.
Fine, I thought. Let’s just call it nostalgia and get this over with.
I closed my eyes, scooped up a spoonful, and took a bite.
Yeah. It was awful.
My face must have said everything, because Maggot quietly took the spoon from me and began feeding me herself.
She even blew on it before each bite, like a caring big sister. But even that sweet gesture couldn’t disguise the taste.
”Didn’t think there was any food that could ruin a ‘nursed by your sister’ scene,” I muttered weakly.
After that, she stayed by my side, tending to me as I rested. I politely refused seconds—the sticky taste still clung to my mouth.
When I said I was bored, she brought me something to do: a reply to a letter from Tokumasa, a classmate who hadn’t gone into the dungeon that day and was worried sick. She also suggested I start keeping notes about everything that had happened—just in case.
I had plenty of time today anyway.
”Better skip the steamy details,” I said to myself with a grin. “Otherwise this’ll turn into something completely different.”
For now, I decided to do what I could. Word had already spread that I was safe, and apparently, questions were pouring in—but Maggot said they’d been put on hold until the full Imperial Guard arrived.
Makes sense. I was one of the people involved, sure—but I was still just an elementary school kid.
I thought about reading to pass the time, but every book meant for men here was either delicate, gloomy poetry or short stories about self-pity and conformity. The rest were “how to fit into society” manuals for men. Not exactly thrilling.
So I focused on my letter instead, writing slowly and carefully for hours.
Maggot sat beside me the whole time, watching quietly.
The brush moved slowly, time moved slowly, and somehow, that felt peaceful.
”And guess what? The food was amazing! You could choose between Japanese and Western dishes. It felt like I was living a normal human life again.”
”I see,” Maggot replied softly.
”I mean, it’s not that I’m unhappy with the rations. It’s not like I dislike the food everyone makes for me. It’s just… the school meals were that good.”
”That’s wonderful.”
”Oh, and I made some friends too. Of course, there are jerks—bigger than me, always making snide comments—but still…”
”That stroke of your brush is backwards,” she said calmly.
”Oh—yeah, you’re right.”
As I wrote the letter, I chatted away to Maggot, who sat beside the bed listening. Maybe because of everything that had happened, school already felt like something from a distant past.
I told her about the broken-down dorm I moved into when I arrived, about being laughed at by my classmates and feeling miserable. How the lessons were surprisingly fun, how at night everyone helped me set up a makeshift wooden bath. How the stars there—unlike in this town—shone so beautifully.
And most of all, how good it felt to have friends.
I spoke with gestures, mixing in emotion.
Maggot simply nodded from time to time, watching me with her calm eyes.
She wasn’t exactly a “good listener,” but somehow, I could keep talking forever when she was near.
”So then—”
”…”
”Hmm? Maggot, what’s wrong?”
”Nothing,” she murmured.
And then she suddenly hugged me.
My face was pressed right into her chest—soft, warm, comforting—and for a moment I forgot to breathe. Still, it was strange. Why now?
”Hey, you’ll get ink on your clothes,” I said.
She didn’t answer.
”Uh… Maggot?”
”My apologies,” she whispered at last. “I lost control for a moment.”
”Wait, what? Are you feeling unwell again? Is this one of those dizzy spells you get from the head injury?”
”Perhaps,” she said after a pause. “It seems I’m having trouble controlling my emotions. It must be my head.”
”I knew it! Should I call the doctor? Or maybe you should lie down—”
”No, young master. It’s only a matter of discipline. A failure of self-control as your Imperial Guard. Please don’t worry yourself.”
”But it started after you hit your head—”
”This is different. It’s not confusion. It’s just… when you’re kind to me, it makes it worse.”
”Huh? Wait, what do you mean worse?”
”Precisely that,” she said quietly.
Her words made no sense, but her face was serious—almost embarrassed.
”Okay… I don’t really get it, but sure.”
”Let’s continue your letter, shall we?” she said, smiling faintly. “I’d love to hear more about your school.”
With that gentle smile, there was no way I could argue.
Whatever was going on with her, she clearly didn’t want me to push it.
I picked up the brush again, still confused, still feeling the warmth of her body against mine.
”I don’t know,” I mumbled. “Feels like she’s getting even more affectionate lately. If this turns into some kind of home-tutor romance, well… not sure that fits in a hospital.”
”Please, speak your wishes at any time,” she said seriously. “I live to serve you, my lord.”
”Ah—no, that’s not what I meant. You don’t have to take it so literally.”
”…I understand.”
She looked at me, eyes calm but somehow different. Maybe I’d made her worry too much earlier. Normally, I was the one who reached out first—but now she hadn’t let go of me since she’d started hugging me.
”If your urges trouble you,” she said quietly, “you may tell me.”
”Wha—huh? Oh no, you can tell? Of course you can, Maggot. But this is a hospital room—what if someone walks in?”
”There’s no problem,” she said simply.
”No problem? Really?”
”Yes.”
”Uh… okay. But I’m still a little feverish. Maybe once I’m better?”
”As you wish,” she said with a calm bow.
”So… it’s a promise then.”
And just like that, I somehow ended up promising my older-sister figure that once my cold was gone, we’d—well—sleep together.
My body might’ve been sick, but my mind apparently hadn’t changed much. Or maybe that was the problem.
I sighed and tried to clear my head.
For now, I turned back to my notes and picked up Tokumasa’s letter again.
It was… impossible to read.
Boys had their own script—short, coded, full of slang—and my head started to throb just looking at it. Still, I managed to piece together a translation in my own words:
* *
(Hospital visit greetings omitted.)
> I was shocked to hear about the tragedy you were caught in.
> I couldn’t help but write, though it may be poor manners for my first letter to reach you this way.
(Excerpt omitted.)
> I never imagined my invitation to the dungeon would lead to such a disaster.
> I feel deep regret and responsibility. Please recover soon.
> When you’re well again, let’s have tea together.
> I look forward to seeing you again.
—Tokumasa
* *
My head hurt just from reading it. I glanced over at Maggot.
”…Something wrong?” she asked.
”No, nothing.”
She didn’t seem to find anything strange about the letter at all.
Maybe this was just how boys wrote to each other here. Still, the formal tone and guilt were enough to make my fever threaten a comeback.
”Well, I guess I’ll compromise,” I sighed. “Hey, do you think it’s okay if I reply in normal speech instead of that weird coded writing?”
”It’s proper to match the style,” she said, “but since you’re the one recovering, a little informality won’t be rude.”
”Good point. Maybe I’ll do that then.”
”If you do, just add a small note at the beginning to explain.”
”Got it. Oh, and is it okay if I mention that whole interference with the Tateyama dungeon?”
”Yes,” she said after a moment, “that would be fine.”
And with that, I finally managed to relax.
For a little while, at least, I could rest.
Notes:
• Tokumasa – Friendly male student from Nokogiriyama, Tateyama Town. Sun-darkened skin, approachable.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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