Err, let’s see.
Aihara-kun being in a dungeon was not so strange. He was an adventurer, after all. It was a bit surprising that he chose this dungeon, but still, nothing so strange.
The one who introduced herself as Michiru-san seemed to be a Yuki-onna and was therefore likely to be his familiar. The thing about Yuki-onna, though, was that the form they took depended on what the person approaching them preferred.
So, is this your type, Aihara-kun? But that’s not what’s important right now. What I should be worrying instead is the fact that I encountered this handsome bastard, a central figure even among our class’s A-listers.
Good thing my helmet covered my whole face. But then again, it wasn’t like Aihara-kun would remember me. We lived in vastly different worlds, after all. So, as long as I don’t give myself away and maybe deceive him a bit—
“Wait, Okawa, is that you?”
What!? How the heck does someone like you know me!? Like, forget me already, dang it!
I was so startled that even I could tell that my shoulders sprung up.
“So it is you. I thought it was when I heard your voice.”
“B-but how”
“I mean, that introduction you did back then left quite an impression on me. So, I can just tell”
“…”
Why would you remember the memory I wanted you to forget the most…but what should I do now? Is my only option to bonk him in the head so hard he’d forget? If only that wasn’t a crime!
“I didn’t think you were an Awakened One too…and ahh, you saw us.”
Looking troubled, Aihara-kun scratched the back of his head.
“Are they your Guardian Spirit and your familiar? I see your preferences are decidedly on the proper side”
“Y-yeah.”
I could feel the subtle prickliness in Aihara-kun’s voice when I timidly answered so.
Man, people in the A group sure were scary. Who knew someone with a handsome face like that could be so intimidating.
“Then I suppose you’re quite creeped out by my own preferences.”
“…?”
“Fat fetish has recently been gaining recognition as of late, but let’s be honest, that’s only on the surface.”
What the heck is he talking about?
He pouted and glared at me, yet his eyes also had a hint of sadness in them.
“I’m guessing you want to keep the fact that you’re an Awakened One a secret, right? So. How about making a deal with me? I keep quiet about that, and you keep quiet about my special preference.”
“It’s not so special though?”
“Mm?”
There was a moment of silence.
Crap, he said something so odd that I just blurted out my thoughts.
“E-excuse me. I understand; let’s keep mum about things. Well then, see you at school”
“Wait”
“Hiinn!?”
Aihara-kun tried to grab me by the shoulder, so I dodged as quickly as I could.
What, are you angry about something? Did I somehow anger you and now you’re picking a fight!? I-I’ll have you know that I’ll fight seriously if I feel like you’re going to hurt Layla and Yukine! Until then though, let me beg for forgiveness!
“Your comment before, it sounded like it’s your honest thoughts. But what did you mean by that, exactly?”
“How should I say this…I guess I just think liking fat people isn’t that unusual…?”
I answered so while cold sweat flowed under my helm.
But then, my brain finally began processing the situation. Aihara-kun just wanted to keep his fetish a secret. Upon reflection, his fetish was indeed a tiny bit unusual. However, it was still within the realms of what would be considered normal. After all…
“I mean, it’s still a lot more normal than wanting to be molested by tentacles, right?”
“What?”
“Ahh”
Sorry I blurted that out, Uoyama-kun.
“Wait, wait. To be molested by, not to molest with???”
“Sorry, I misspoke. Err, it’s just that I know someone who likes tentacles.”
“…huh. Is that so? Huh…I guess the world really is a big place and there’s all sorts of folks out there.”
With a faraway look, Aihara-kun seemed to have understood.
…I’m really sorry, Uoyama-kun!
“Ahem. Well, at least now I don’t have to worry about you being out to get me over this.”
“Y-yeah”
“…more importantly, I’ve gotten a better opinion of you now”
“Come again?”
With a glint in his eyes, Aihara-kun placed his hands on my shoulders. I wasn’t able to avoid him this time, and he brought his face closer to mine.
“You…have talent.”
“What?”
“Listen, Okawa…it feels good when you hug women, right?”
“Wow, you’re the worst”
How he could say that with a straight face, I had no idea.
“I’m not talking about their boobs or butts. Rather…what do you think symbolizes motherhood. Yes, it’s their bellies.”
I haven’t even answered with anything!
“All in all, I believe the allure of a woman’s body is in its overall roundness. Don’t you feel as safe as a baby being hugged by a plump body? Makes you want to squeal like a baby even.”
“Sorry but I don’t really agree. I’m a boob enjoyer, after all.”
“I suppose this level is still too too advanced for you…”
Why are you smiling like you’ve realized something? And you say it’s too advanced like I even want to reach that level.
Looking like he understood despite not really, he tapped my shoulders and then finally took a step back.
“I guess this is as far as we go today. I’ll be waiting for you on the road ahead.”
“I don’t plan to walk that road, so please continue by yourself…”
“The guys you usually hang with…Uoyama and Kumai, I believe. Well, feel free to enlighten them with what I shared with you today. I mean, you’re all birds of the same feather, right?”
I could hear Kumai-kun vehemently objecting to that statement in my head, but more importantly…
Is he treating even me like a pervert? I have perfectly normal tastes, thank you very much. I mean, liking boobs is entirely normal, you know.
“Oops, almost forgot. Kyotaro, that thing you’re holding, is that an Orc’s skull?”
Before I knew it, he was calling me by first name…man, extroverts with cheery personalities sure were scary.
“Huh? Oh, yeah.”
“Wanna trade that for the Orc Hide I got earlier? Those don’t show up much in marketplaces, so I’ve been having a tough time finding them.”
While saying so, he slightly raised his left hand and something black and square-shaped appeared.
Ignoring my surprise, Aihara-kun then inserted his hand into the square thing. By the time I began processing things, he had pulled out a deep-green hide.
“An [Item Box]…?”
“Yup. I can use Space Magic, you see.”
Along with White and Black Magic, Space Magic was well-known for being one of rarest superpowers.
It allowed the user to manipulate space, which in turn allowed them to do stuff like teleport and deploy an Item Box.
With an Item Box, they could carry objects regardless of its weight. An Item Box’s maximum size depended on their magic stat, with an A magic stat probably being able to hold as much as a house could.
“So, care to trade?”
“That sounds like music to my ears…but are you sure you want to?”
“Absolutely. I need that for my dream, after all.”
“Your dream?”
He nodded resolutely and spread his arms apart.
“Yes. My dream to open Plump Plump Land!”
“…”
What the heck is that supposed to be…
“Ahh, my dream amusement park. A paradise exclusively for me! I’m sure that is the reason why I’ve awoken to Space Magic and Summoning Magic!”
Why the heck does a guy like this have those 2 rare superpowers…?
“I haven’t found any female Orcs though. But I believe I can make one with Summoning Magic, as long as I made special adjustments first.”
“Err, well…”
“And so, to make a specialized catalyst, I have been gathering Orc Skulls. I don’t know when my dream will come true, but that won’t stop me. I believe that as long as you don’t give up your dreams, they will someday, without fail, come true.”
I don’t think you should be saying those inspiring words in such a lust-filled context. Ok, sorry, but, well, wait. Arggh, my head can’t make sense of this. This is all just too much for me.
“So, shall we trade, Kyotaro?”
“Ahh, yeah, fine by me.”
“Thanks. I’m now one step closer to my dream park.”
“Good.For.You.”
“Now then, it’s dangerous for us to be so chill inside a dungeon for too long, plus I still have to hunt for more Orcs, so I guess we’ll take our leave now. Still though, I can’t believe there was a hunting ground like this right under our noses. We’d been searching outside the prefecture, you know.”
Just like that, I traded in my Orc Skull for some Orc Hide.
Afterwards, he turned around. Before they took a step though, he looked and smiled back at me.
“See you, friend. I hope one day you’ll join me in my realm of enlightenment.”
“Not a chance.”
When I answered without thinking, he answered with “still so green” and laughed.
“Let’s be off, Michiru. Let’s resume doing the prep to welcome my mistresses.”
“Oh my, already?”
Yukine and Michiru-san were having some kind of chat among fellow wives while seated in a table-and-chair set made of ice that was built without me even noticing it. Michiru-san looked a bit surprised when Aihara-kun called out to her.
I want to say sorry, but I’m the one who’s surprised here. Like, how can you guys be so relaxed inside a dungeon?
“Bye then, Yukine-chan! Let’s talk again some time!”
“Indeed! I’m looking forward to it!”
The two Yuki-onna exchanged giggles along with farewell waves. As they walked away, Aihara-kun wrapped his arm around Michiru-san’s back. While I was somewhat dumbfounded by that, Layla lightly tapped my shoulder.
“Master. There aren’t any enemies nearby, so want to calm down through deep breaths?”
“Right…right…”
This world sure was a vast place with all sorts of people…
* * *
After slowly counting to ten while looking at Layla in eye, I finally regained my calm.
…why the heck am I reacting the same as when I saw someone die for the first time? But, whatever. I don’t wanna think about it anymore. I should focus instead on going back.
After a while of searching, I heard the sound of a river. Just the sound of the flowing water was soothing.
Moreover, there were considerably less weeds and the trees receded from view.
We arrived in the rock-littered riverbank. It looked like the sort of place a close family would go for a barbecue. Well, maybe if this wasn’t a dungeon.
The river was quiet but deep. Probably 10 meters deep. It was quite wide too. I could see on the other side a few boulders and trees.
But in this dungeon, a river probably meant that.
I placed my hand on hilt of my sword, changing from a half-sword to a normal grip. I then cautiously looked into the river itself. In there were 3 dancing women.
Their lush, golden hair fluttered freely in the water, along with their simple dresses that were so white it looked like they were mist. Their supple fingertips and their footwork looked wonderful even to the untrained eye, and an expert in the arts might look at them with jealousy.
But then, I heard a cracking sound. It wasn’t a sound a flowing river would make, nor was it the voice of the dancing women. It was the sound of magic being repelled.
In the first place, could people even dance like that underwater? Maybe Awakened Ones could pull it off, but then, who would do so within a dungeon? It stood to reason then that these were monsters to be defeated.
Perhaps questioning why I haven’t jumped into the river yet, the women turned toward me. And peeking through their beautiful blonde hair was a face covered with moss. Their eyes, their noses, what have you, it was all covered in moss.
Each of them was called a [Rusalka]. They were monsters that appeared in rivers and lakes. And while taking on the form of beautiful women, they would drag people down to the bottom of the river or lake.
But since I didn’t fall for their trick, they swam up to the surface and came at me with great speeds. It was no issue though. In fact, now that they were so close to the shore, they were within our reach.
“[Ice Jail]!”
Six pillars of ice pierced the water’s surface and froze the surrounding area faster than they could plunge into the water. Naturally, the Rusalkas in the center of the ice formation were frozen as well. It unfortunately didn’t do enough to kill them though. Maybe it was because of their Resistance stat was high.
At any rate, I jumped onto the frozen river and thrust my swords into the monsters’ heads before they could break free. They died in no time and soon began to turn into particles of magic power. I retreated to the riverbank as I watched the monsters completely disappear.
“Nicely done, Yukine.”
“It was nothing.”
There didn’t look to be any Item Drops but I still checked the bottom of the river. There were only stones lying down there though.
In this dungeon, that particular item was probably the only thing aside from Orc Hides that could be sold for good money. So maybe I was just being greedy here.
Welp, let’s just focus on getting back.
I thought so as we resumed our search for the exit.
We didn’t particularly wanted a change of pace but since we were here, we figured we should follow the riverbank as we explored. After about 10 more minutes, I thought to myself that they really should consider changing the name of this dungeon from Isolated Island to Giant Island.
At the same time though, I caught sight of dark silhouettes on the water some distance away from us.
Awakened Ones had great senses but those of us with Magic Eyes had even better eyesight. And with that eyesight, I was certain of the true nature of those silhouette: each one was a [Vodyanoy].
They were monsters often talked in tandem with Rusalkas. The term frogman probably described their appearance best. At a glance, they looked like bipedal frogs, but their skeletal structure was the only thing human-like about them.
Their physique was large by human standards, and just as that would suggest, they were strong. About as strong as Orcs.
However, the most troublesome thing about these guys were their regenerative abilities. Even if you cut their limbs, those parts would grow back soon enough.
As for my reaction after the seeing monster…
“Yayy!!”
I unintentionally exclaimed so, albeit in a low voice. Worse yet, I also did a victory pose.
“Err, D-dear?”
“Ahh, sorry. Did I surprised you?”
“Please tell me that thing isn’t in your strike zone…”
“Uhh, no? There’s no way, you know. It’s not about that.”
Please don’t brand me as a pervert. Anyone who can get excited by that is at least on the same level of deviancy as Uoyama-kun.
“It’s just that those monsters tend to drop something that can sell for high prices. In other words, I got excited in taking it down.”
“Ahh, so it was about that. That’s a relief…”
Come on, do you have so little faith in me?
“Master. How should we proceed?”
“The Vodyanoys will attack us once we pass by it. So, I’ll be at the front and I’ll have you support me.”
“Understood.”
Layla nodded with a smile, and I gave her a thumbs up in reply as I stepped forward. Sword at the ready, I went from from a brisk walk to a full run as I kept constant watch on the water.
The Vodyanoys seemed to have noticed me though. They directed their black pupils at me and made ribbit sounds from their mouths covered by mustache-like moss. They then jumped with great force onto the riverbank and wasted no time to charge at me with their sharp claws.
There were 4 of them but the difference between our ranks told me this would be an easy affair.
Right as the first one swung its right arm at me, I swung my sword from its right armpit to its left shoulder and cut it into two pieces. With that same swing, I beheaded the next monster.
“[Flame Javelin]”
“[Ice Fang]”
Spears made of fire and ice stabbed the remaining enemies in their faces. Both monsters slowly fell down on their backs.
As I did the usual of waiting for the enemies to turn into particles of magic power and disappear, I noticed something different about one of them.
No way!
“Ohh!”
I picked the object up and exclaimed. It really was a [Silver Bangle]!
This was no ordinary accessory made of silver. It was tinged with magic power. These things can be sold for 500,000 yen apiece. That was a lot for an Item Drop from a D rank.
After confirming there was no other danger in the vicinity, I signaled to Layla and Yukine that it was safe to approach. While I waited for them, I placed the Silver Bangle into my Item Bag and looked back to water.
When I was scanning the area earlier, I noticed a building at the bottom of the water. It was a dilapidated building made of wood and stone. It was large enough to be called a mansion, so I figured it served as a stronghold for Vodyanoys.
“Layla, I’m going to dive down there, so please tie this rope to a tree or rock. Yukine, in case something happens, please back me up.”
“Yes, count on me, my dear.”
“I’m fine with that, but shouldn’t it be me who dives underwater?”
“Ahh no, let’s not do that”
“No harm can really done to me, you know…”
I rejected the idea as I took out a rope from my Item Bag and tied it around my torso. Layla smiled awkwardly at that, but I mean, I couldn’t just let her get herself drenched while I remained completely dry.
…but Layla being drenched…maybe I should ask Layla to put on the school swimsuit I bought previously once we get home. Yukine too, of course.
But such worldly desires would only be a distraction for the moment, so I shook my head in hopes it would be brushed away. I also handed the tip of the rope to Layla and did some warm-up exercises.
“Alright, here I go.”
I took my helmet off, took a deep breath, put my helmet back on, and jumped into the river. Almost immediately, I found myself being dragged downward by the water’s current. I didn’t think the weight of my armor had anything to do with it though. It was more likely that something was pulling me down toward the building.
It would be troublesome enough if there were remnants of the Vodyanoy group from earlier, but even if that wasn’t the case, a new group of Vodyanoys or even Rusalkas could come and get in the way.
And so, to cut things short, I swung my sword with as much force as I could muster and activated Magic Power Discharge. Even though its power was lessened by the water, there was still enough to drive away the water clinging onto me and even destroy the building.
I confirmed the death of two Vodyanoys who seemed to have been in hiding. Moreover, I noticed a glitter among the rubble of the now-destroyed building. It was from the keyhole of a treasure chest.
I came closer through another use of Magic Power Discharge and stabbed my sword in the vicinity to fix it into place. And while ignoring the debris hitting my body, I then picked up the chest and kicked the riverbed to boost myself up. I also tugged the rope to signal to Layla and Yukine to pull me up. Upon returning to the riverbank, I placed down the treasure chest in my arms.
“Thank you, you two.”
“It’s nothing. More importantly, were you hurt? It is so much harder to fight underwater, after all.”
“I didn’t really get into a fight, so I’m fine.”
“Ahm…sorry for my ignorance, is that chest really worth it to willingly enter a terrain that is greatly advantageous to the enemy?”
Yukine asked so as she questioningly tilted her head. In response, I gave her a big nod.
“Yeah, I’d say so. Well, maybe not if it turned out to be Mimic.”
But my Magic Eye didn’t react at all when I picked it up, so I was certain it was the real deal.
And so, without wasting any time, I broke the lock and check what was inside.
“Alright!”
Inside the chest was a golden miniature waterwheel. It was a magic tool. When placed at the bottom of a pot, it would convert the magic power in the air into water.
“A magic tool, huh. How much does this one fetch?”
“If I remember correctly, around seven to eight hundred thousand yen. We’re on a streak today…!”
Without realizing, I pumped my fist multiple times. I mean, I heard that Vodyanoy Item Drops were rare and finding their lairs were rarer still, so I didn’t think we would get both.
And by the way, Vodyanoy also dropped [Stone Matryoshka Dolls]. This one didn’t sell for much. As for Rusalkas, they dropped [Silver Rings]. It sold for a good enough price, but given the folklore, it was a slightly awkward Item Drop to get.
At any rate, we have been making a killing today. It looked like we could even splurge a bit on the materials for the Golem! I was leaving the details to Layla though, so I wasn’t really sure.
“Oh, then great job, dear!”
“Congratulations!”
“Yeah! I’m so glad I accepted Togo-san’s request!”
If this is how it is in this dungeon, then it certainly is worth visiting. I mean, look at all our loot!
If only it didn’t take us another 2 hours to finally get out. Two hours of confronting over 50 Vodyanoys and Rusalkas, and fighting about the same number of Orcs. And there weren’t any Item Drops for any of them!
I promised myself to never come back to this dungeon.
* * *
<<My, great work, Kyotaro-kun. I’ve received word that you’ve already fulfilled my request. Thank you again.>>
“Don’t mention it. I’m just returning the favor for all you’ve done to help me.”
I was talking with Togo-san via a phone call in the hotel I was staying in.
Actually, aside from school trips and family trips, this was the first time I’ve ever stayed in a hotel, so I was a bit nervous about it. There was nothing too special going on but I just couldn’t calm down. Didn’t help that Togo-san got me good accommodations. I felt a bit guilty about it that I promised myself not to dirty the place.
“But that dungeon sure was tiring. I don’t think I want to ever go back to it.”
With a dry laugh, I grumbled so.
It was my honest feelings. I did earn quite a bit, but that was beside the point. Staying for so long inside the dungeon just wasn’t great for my mental health. I mean, even the seminar I took advised against staying in a dungeon for more than 4 consecutive hours.
<<My, is that so…and here I thought I could ask you again in case that place needed another culling. The Orcs are particularly troublesome when their numbers go up.>>
There was joking tone in his voice. I shrugged my shoulders at that even though he couldn’t see.
“I don’t think you have to worry about them for a while as they’ll be overhunted.”
<<Huh?>>
When the image of that cool guy’s pointlessly cool smiling face came to mind, I looked off into the distance.
Taroppe-sensei(author)’s Q&A corner
Thank you for reading!
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Q: How did Aihara remember Kyotaro who is supposed to be inconspicuous?
A: Aihara: “My pervert sensed his pervert level somehow”
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