Thank goodness, I’m alive, thought Mimori.
She woke up on a bed in a medical office, and was relieved from the bottom of her heart.
She remembered being surrounded by many monsters, and Hino, the leader of her party, doing his best to protect her. She used her Enchanter skill too much, and fainted due to running out of magic energy, so she had no idea how that turned out.
What she did know was that someone saved her. It could have been Hino miraculously managing to defeat all the monsters, but it would make more sense for another seeker to have helped.
“Are you awake, Fuyo?”
She sat up, and saw the archer of her party, Momoyama, sitting on a chair.
“…Where am I?”
“The guild’s medical office. Do you remember what happened?”
She shook her head. All she remembered was being attacked by monsters.
When she told her that, Momoyama told her a seeker saved her.
It was someone working alone, who defeated all the monsters in no time at all.
Momoyama said that at the end, she asked this person for too much, and was sad when he didn’t like it.
Hino still had not woken up, and Kanba and Kokonoe were looking after him.
“I need to thank him.”
“Yes. Ah, sorry. I didn’t get his contact.”
She wanted to thank the person who saved her, but it would have to be another time.
◇ ◇ ◇
When she received word that Hino was awake, she met up with the others.
Hino seemed unbothered despite being wounded a lot, and had no intention of quitting being a seeker.
And even as she saw him hurt, Mimori did not feel like quitting either. Especially since this party had a nice balance, and the old lady receptionist gave them her stamp of approval, saying they had a bright future.
With this party, she felt like she could recoup her initial investment quickly.
◇ ◇ ◇
In the cafe in the guild, they discussed what to do with the baton that was in the treasure chest.
Use it? Sell it?
Both were reasonable, but in order to use it, they would have to get it appraised, as they had no idea what it did.
Appraising it would cost a hundred thousand yen, money this party did not have.
If they sold it, appraisal would be free, but if it was useful to them, they would probably never get another one.
That was why Hino, their leader, made the decision to earn money through their explorations, so they could get it appraised and then make a decision.
Mimori would rather they sold it and split the money, but everyone else agreed with him, so she reluctantly accepted it.
ーーー
Unicorn staff
A staff in the shape of a baton. Used exclusively by women.
Reduces magic energy consumption, and boosts effects. (Thrice every day.)
Magic energy can be used to produce a rapier like blade from the tip.
Purchasing price: Four hundred thousand yen
ーーー
They earned the money they needed a few days later. Quicker than they anticipated.
“You should use this, Kokonoe.”
Was the decision Hino made, so he gave her the unicorn staff.
Kokonoe seemed thrown off by being given such a valuable staff.
“Are you sure? Wouldn’t it suit Fuyo?”
“The effect of Enchanter is great, but we won’t grow if we rely on it too much. That’s why I think you should have it.”
Kokonoe accepted what Hino said, and took it after nodding.
Her resolve was clear in her expression.
“…Rely on Enchanter too much…”
He meant nothing bad by it, but what Hino said stuck out to Mimori.
◇ ◇ ◇
Something became clear after a few more explorations.
Momoyama started to check for people with a certain characteristic.
Mimori was not the only one who noticed it. So did the other two, who wanted to talk about love.
And Kanba and Kokonoe seemed to know what it was about.
“Are you looking for someone, Yuumi… The one from before?”
“N-no, I just want to thank him. I was rude before, so…”
Kokonoe had fun teasing Momoyama, whose face turned red.
Mimori watched silently, but there was a festival in her heart.
I-t i-s h-a-p-p-e-n-i-n-g!!
Hino’s harem was breaking!
She could feel it would be interesting.
It sounded like it was about the person who saved them the other day, but was he really that charming?
“Hum, I don’t know him, so what is he like?”
She asked, and the other three awkwardly looked at each other.
“I don’t think he’s bad but… He’s unique…”
“I wouldn’t call him normal. Unique is a good word.”
“…The person who saved us… He’s plump.”
Said Kanba, Kokonoe, and then Momoyama.
It appeared that despite being saved by him, their impression of him was not too positive. She thought it was not good to have preconceived notions, but seeing Momoyama stammer made her wary.
She did want to thank him, but worried if he would say something weird.
“Well, you don’t have to worry. He is at least nice enough to save people in the dungeon.”
Said Kanba, sensing Mimori’s worries.
Yes, he was at least generous enough to save people.
She thought she definitely had to thank him if she saw him.
◇ ◇ ◇
“Eh? Me? I’m twenty-four.”
Are you sure it’s him, Momoyama!? Was what Mimori wanted to say because of the impactful first impression he made.
A lot happened that day, including fighting along with the party that included Hino’s rival, and the student council president and member of this party showing interest in Hino, but this made it all seem trivial.
“Thanks. This soup is nice.”
He whispered, sounding relieved, as he drank the soup Momoyama gave him.
“Really!? Great.”
Hearing what he thought of it brought a full smile to Momoyama’s face.
Mimori had not been in that party for long, but it was the first time she saw that expression on Momoyama’s face. There was no doubt about it, it was him.
He said he was twenty-four, but he looked younger than that. To the point where she wondered if they were in the same year, or perhaps he was younger than that. Some people have baby faces, but he clearly did not appear to be over twenty.
He looked normal, but perhaps because of his size, there was an intensity to him, which kept people away.
However, it seemed Mimori was the only one who felt this, as the others and even Hino’s rival party spoke to him normally.
“Tanaka, thank you for saving us.”
“Ah! T-thank you!”
What Hino said made Mimori snap out of it, and she quickly bowed.
Yes, it was not good to judge him based on appearance. He saved them, so surely he was not bad.
“Ah, don’t mention it. I was asked so it couldn’t be helped and I had to, that’s all.”
It stuck out to Mimori how he emphasized he had to do it, but he seemed to accept their gratitude.
The man who saved them, Tanaka, ate and did not talk too much. Perhaps it was the age difference, or maybe it was because they were all strangers.
But once the topic switched to dungeons, he became more talkative.
“They sell dungeon maps?”
“Yes, if you ask at the reception desk, you can get maps up to the twentieth floor.”
He was surprised, as if it was his first time hearing of it.
The guild was supposed to inform them of these things when they registered, but maybe he did not hear.
“No, I’m not registered.”
“…Are you an idiot?”
“Ah!?”
“Nothing. It’s nothing…”
Hino’s rival was glared at after saying something rude.
But no one could blame him, because everyone thought the same thing.
Then they asked Tanaka more questions about guild registration, and that seemed to break the ice.
And in the end, him and Hino even put their arms around each other’s shoulders.
Hum, Hino, your beloved is falling for someone too easily.
Thought Mimori, but it reached no one.
◇ ◇ ◇
After Mimori joined and they got the unicorn staff, the party’s exploration went extremely smoothly.
They got used to fighting, fulfilling their roles, and coordinating. They figured they could get through the twentieth floor… But they were stopped at the nineteenth.
They had trouble with the kobolds that appeared there. They were fast, used weapons, and even attacked from a distance with arrows. And to make matters worse, they could jump over the front line to reach the back row.
Momoyama’s arrows could take out jumbo spiders, but she had trouble facing opponents that excelled at fighting up close, like kobolds.
“I think I’m starting to hate dogs.”
Mumbled Kokonoe after a fight.
First rock wolves, then kobolds. Canine monsters gave them trouble, making her dislike them.
“I have a dog, so make sure you don’t vent your anger.”
“Your Kotarou is cute, so it’s okay.”
Said Hino to a concerned Yuka.
Mimori felt like asking why he knew her dog, but refrained from doing it. She figured they were alone together, but he probably did not see it as a date.
But in any case, they could not get through the nineteenth floor.
They had to come up with a solution.
◇ ◇ ◇
“I think we need more people, but I want to hear your thoughts.”
Hino gathered everyone in a café terrace near the guild to discuss their plans.
They were outside, but the parasol over them had a magic item that released cool air, which came down gently and promised a comfortable cafe experience.
“I’m against it. We shouldn’t be panicking just yet, there are things we haven’t tried.”
“Hm… I’m for it. We should get someone who is fast, and if we’re going to increase our fighting power, more people is the quickest solution.”
“I’m against it. I don’t want someone weird joining us.”
“I agree with Kanba. Fuyo just joined us too, so we can take it easy. And we can just invite them if we happen to find someone good.”
Everyone was against it, except one. Hino figured it made sense.
Maybe there was no need to start feeling flustered and add more members, but he thought at that rate, they would not be advancing.
And then, Mimori and Momoyama spoke.
“Hino, I want to use something, so can we buy it?”
“Ah, Touya. I want a weapon too…”
“Hn? It’s okay as long as we don’t go over our budget. What do you want?”
“It’s…”
◇ ◇ ◇
They reached the guild with their new equipment.
It was supposed to just be two things, but Kokonoe wanted a robe and Yuka brought boots like it was normal, so the sudden expense drove their finances close to rock bottom.
“We’re going to have to start prioritizing making money.”
Said Hino while checking their balance on his phone, since he was the one who managed their funds.
Before them stood a building with large letters that said Seeker Association. The word guild was nowhere to be seen.
It started being called that about twenty years before by MMO loving seekers.
Guild made no sense as a short version of Seeker Association, but since it was easier to call it that, it stuck. At this point, most called it guild.
The automatic doors opened, and they stepped into the entrance, which had chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.
There were big counters to the left and right, and people busily moving around.
The ones on the right were for people registering as seekers or accepting quests, while the ones on the left bought materials, had things appraised, and accepted quests.
There was a boom of seeker registrations, so the employees there were busy.
“Ah, Tanaka.”
Someone trudged in their direction from the corridor to the right.
The corridor to the right was where the guild’s store was located, which dealt in many items for seekers. Many items such as potions and mana potions secured by the Seeker Association’s supplier. Most of what a seeker would need was there.
“Hey. Are you going to the dungeon too?”
The man who could be seen even far away spoke casually.
“Yes. You too, Tanaka?”
“Yep. Gotta make a lot of money.”
He said while tapping his chest, which felt off.
Well, not off. It just felt he had put on some weight since last time.
His stomach bulged, and it felt like his tough looking equipment was crying for mercy.
“Did you put on weight?”
The words just flowed out of Mimori’s mouth.
It felt like they could have come from anyone there, but Mimori was fastest. That also meant no one could complain.
“Is that the first thing you have to say to me? I lost weight even! There’s no way I wouldn’t after moving around in the dungeon so much!”
“O-of course…”
When was the last time you stepped on a scale? Or looked in a mirror? She thought, and held a smile as she tried not to say it.
Looking at Tanaka felt overwhelming, but more than that, it felt like there was too much to point out.
Leaving Mimori’s conflict aside, Momoyama, who had been quiet the whole time, proposed something while looking straight at Tanaka.
“…How about you come explore with us?”
The other members were surprised.
They did discuss inviting someone if they found someone good, but did Tanaka qualify?
But no one stopped her. In fact, someone supported it.
“Yes! It must be hard for you too, Tanaka, since you’re alone. Come with us!”
It was Kokonoe, who stated before that she thought they should get more members.
Momoyama, Kokonoe, and Yuka had seen his power. And the others heard about it from them.
He mowed down all the monsters by himself, and seemed to have an easy time doing it.
He was definitely reliable. It had not been that long, and while he might have made it past the nineteenth floor, surely he was having trouble with the volume of monsters on the twentieth. Not to mention that challenging the boss alone was dangerous. It would make sense that this was exactly what Tanaka needed as well.
But his response was not positive.
“What floor are you on?”
“Nineteenth…”
“Sorry, I’m already on the twenty-third. Call me if you need help. I’ll be there.”
He wished them a nice seek, and they watched him silently as he left.
He was on the same floor as them not too long ago, and all of a sudden, the gap became wider.
They knew he was strong, but since they had a party, they thought their overall fighting power was superior.
And yet, he kept going while they were on the nineteenth floor. It was not as though they were competing, but it did leave them with impatience in their hearts.
“…Let’s go.”
Hino called out to the others, who nodded and followed him.
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