I’m at the entrance to the dungeon, clad in guardian beast armor, but I see high schoolers I know talking to middle schoolers I know.
The high schoolers I know are the harem party led by Hino.
The middle schoolers I know are the dance team that includes Master Azabu’s daughter.
It looks like Kokonoe is in charge of little girls in that party, but she looks mad at them. But since Kokonoe looks like a little girl herself, they don’t look at all bothered.
I’m suspecting they’re here to film a dance video in the dungeon, so I can’t ignore it and ask what they’re doing. Sure enough, they’re arguing about that.
The harem party stopped the girls when they saw them entering the dungeon with no equipment, and after asking why they’re here, they told them they were filming a video. Kokonoe flipped out, and started lecturing them.
Hm… As I listen to them, I turn to Matsuri, Master Azabu’s daughter.
Hey, Matsuri, didn’t I tell you not to do this because the dungeon is dangerous?
It’s seriously dangerous. There are monsters even on the first floor. Even monsters that don’t hurt people have their exceptions. Not to mention evil seekers that might attack you.
So turn back.
Hn? Who am I? You can’t hear me under the face guard?
…Do I have to say it again? That’s pretty embarrassing.
◇ ◇ ◇
That was supposed to talk them down, but they couldn’t hear me under the helmet. I raise the face guard and look at the girls, who sound surprised, but I don’t care.
This is pretty embarrassing.
I was all smug under the face guard, but them not hearing me left me pretty embarrassed.
Is this one of those experiences that changes me?
Some try to run after seeing my face, but I go around them and stop them.
We can’t let children roam the dungeon alone. It’d be one thing if they had guards, but weak little girls can’t defend themselves if something happens.
The harem party thanks me for stopping them, and I say it’s no big deal.
They nod, but say not many people could’ve done that.
Life is cheap in the dungeon. Young, old, men, women, everyone’s treated the same.
That’s why seekers have to focus on protecting themselves. Maybe in that sense, Hino and the others are not fully seekers.
Anyway, I caught them, so I tell them if they’re coming here, they should have a guard. One of them says ‘you guard us then’.
To Hino.
He’s surprised, and asks why him.
The girl pointing at him blushes, so it looks like his main character aura worked on her.
I’m impressed, it’s one of those easy heroines you don’t see much these days.
Meanwhile, two girls from the harem party are pissed. They look like they’re about to call her a damn brat any second.
Momoyama and Mimori are paying attention to Fuuma, and also saying that it’s better than them being in danger.
Can you not feed Fuuma too much?
Fuuma looks happy, but I don’t want it getting even fatter.
I drag Fuuma behind me as I enter the dungeon, and tell them good luck.
The girls are looking at me.
What?
For some reason, they all come after me, and the girls propose dancing in front of the portal.
They say they’ll do it before people come, and they start filming.
They don’t want other people in the video, so we’re told to wait nearby, but of course, we’re not the only ones here. People come and go.
Every time they start, someone appears from the portal and is startled. And they have to restart.
I propose that we change location already, because we’re getting nowhere, but apparently they like the light of the portal. And they get Fuuma in the video for some reason, who jumps to the tune.
As I think this might take a while, Hino sits next to me.
We talk about recent events, telling each other what happened. Of course, I don’t tell him what I don’t want to talk about, but he doesn’t either.
He’s a high schooler, so he mostly talks about school, and apparently he has junior seekers now.
It sounds like he’s a proper leader, and he’s been getting more members recently, so he’s worried about how that will turn out.
He also decided to go to university, and sounds a little lonely as he says that will start next year.
It sounds fun, I think as I listen, and remember my own high school life.
It wasn’t this bright, that’s for sure. I was on the go home club, got rejected and never had a girlfriend, and just played with my friends.
And the girls dancing in front of me, school girls looking like they’re having a lot of fun. I’m sure they have their own puberty problems, but I’m jealous of the nice memories they’re making.
As Hino and I talk, the girls finish their video, and go back.
There are no harmful monsters on this floor, only pill bugs that clear up trash in the dungeon.
These pill bugs are heavy for a regular person, and I sense a lot of them with Spatial Grasp. Not below, above.
I call Fuuma, get my greatsword of fortitude, and use wind to take out the falling pill bugs.
The girls’ lives might be in danger if even a fragment hits them, so I do my best to take care of it, but it’s not enough.
Maybe I could if I used Limit Break, but I can’t waste a second to use it.
Several pill bugs go flying, I miss one. That one is right above Matsuri, and will fall on her.
Even with magic, I won’t make it in time.
So Fuuma’s magic protects her.
The pill bug is hit with wind magic and is blown away, and I eliminate the ones that got away. Then Fuuma wraps layers of wind under chakram, that it then places on above the girls.
Hino and the others immediately react to this emergency, and start eliminating pill bugs.
The girls can’t even scream, and stand still in a daze.
They can’t process this sudden violent sight.
But this is the dungeon, and how scary it is.
This might traumatize them, but if they understand the danger and stay away from the dungeon, it must be a good choice.
The dungeon takes a lot of lives. None of them need to join that list.
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