I wake up to the sound of my smartphone. I look at the screen, and see the name Ai.
I think to myself that I haven’t gotten any calls except from her lately, and turn the phone off to go back to sleep.
It’s still nine. Too early to get up.
I wake up again two hours later, and when I turn my phone on again, I see Ai called me thirty times.
Scary. This is heavy.
Anyway, if she called me this much, there must be an emergency.
Hello, this is Tanaka.
Yes, I was asleep. No, I just saw my phone was turned off. I must’ve done it in a daze.
Eh? Is that aggressive old man in critical condition?
Ah, no. So he’s fine.
No no, I’m not thinking of taking money again. No.
An invitation to have lunch… With the aggre… With the old man?
No, eating alone with him sounds harsh.
Can I decline?
Yes, then… What, there’s more?
A quest? You want me to test another product?
…What’s the reward?
I scoop up some ant queen honey with a spoon to fire myself up, and head to Honto.
Once there, I feel like there are more people here than last time. Everyone’s wearing a suit, and have employee ID’s on their chests.
I feel a bit embarrassed, being the only one here in casual clothes and ruffled hair. I’ll try to look after my appearance from now on. But will I succeed? I guess it will depend on how I feel that day.
People’s stares are prickling me. It’s like they’re asking what’s with the fat guy, as I head to the president’s office.
I’m a guest, but I lumber my way there as I cut the air with my stomach. Not with my shoulders as the expression goes, I can’t act big with people I don’t know.
I keep on walking on the side of the corridor, and knock on the door. Ai opens along with the chairman. There’s a middle-aged guy sitting over there, with a seeker standing behind him.
Ah, sorry. You’re having a meeting.
I’ll come back later. Bye.
I had no idea the mood would be so tense here, so as always, I don’t wait for a response and go.
I just walked here because I’m used to doing that, but I shouldn’t have.
So can you please not stop me?
Ai tells with a resolute tone to wait here, like I’m her employee, as she points somewhere with her eyes.
I feel like I can’t say no, so I stand still.
It’s not like I’m opposed to that other seeker, I’m just going with the flow. So don’t stare at me.
The middle-aged guy looks at me and snorts.
Why’s this guy looking down at me? I glare at him, and I don’t think he likes that, because he tells Ai he’ll be back later and leaves.
What was that about?
I ask Ai, and she says that guy is the president of a big company that wants to buy Honto.
Honto’s policies have been changing recently, and its growth has been impressive. They’re looking to expand and they keep coming out with winning products, so it’s definitely a promising company.
It will exist as long as the dungeon is here, and it has deep ties to the Seeker Association. And when you add their business expertise from being in business for so long, Honto is an attractive buy.
Even if someone tries for a tender offer, the president and chairman hold most of it, so a deal can’t be struck without their agreement, leading to these negotiations.
Of course, they’re both against it, but apparently this won’t be the last time a company tries something like that.
Some are even hinting at being more forceful, and talking to the Seeker Association.
Eh… That’s terrible, I answer vaguely.
Sorry, don’t glare at me like that. I’m just not interested.
I don’t really care what happens to this company, it could go out of business and it wouldn’t really be a problem. But I’m still pretending to care, so don’t judge me.
I look away when I’m glared at, and try to cut to the chase.
Ai, sighs, mumbles that it concerns me too, and tells me to follow her as she leaves.
She takes me to a storehouse, where people tirelessly work on forklifts.
In a corner of this storehouse is a two meters tall and 1.5×3 meters wide white box with wheels, that looks sturdy. Ai takes me in front of this box.
There are workers doing something to it.
Is there something inside?
No? Then…?
This is what you want me to test? The box?
There’s a panel on the box, and a worker tells me to touch it. I put my hand on it, and after it glows a bit, it says registration complete.
I ask them what this is, and I’m told it’s an automatic porter that works via magic energy. It can store up to two tons, and its thick armor means it can take a beating from an orc for an hour.
It has space where it keeps things cool, so it can preserve food. There’s also a feature that allows it to get back up automatically if it falls.
On the side it says Honto Corporation along with their logo, and its name is portacool.
Who named it?
Ah, your daughter.
Ah, um, shouldn’t someone else name these things?
No, I’m not judging or anything.
Ah, yes. I do think it’s a nice name. Yes.
The portacool follows the person it registered, and will continue doing so unless the feature is turned off via voice command.
Which means I have to register my voice next, so I speak towards the mic.
Why do I always feel like singing when I’m in front of a mic?
I speak normally at first, but eventually my beautiful voice echoes in the storeroom, and I’m told to stop.
Ai complains that I’m bothering the people working, and I nod and apologize in my head.
With that done, I take the portacool with me as I leave.
I’m testing it for one month, with a possibility of an extension. Apparently I just have to say what I think of it twice in the time when I’m using it.
It’s a simple job, so I head with it to the dungeon with a grin on my face.
Then I notice three things.
First, walking around with this big box is pretty embarrassing.
Second, I have no need for this thing. My Storage Space makes the portacool that’s meant to replace a trolley pointless.
It’s a bother. It just gets in the way.
Honto is relatively close to the dungeon, but I still have to walk for twenty minutes. Since it monopolizes sidewalks, I can’t really use it where there’s a lot of people.
I’m on the road now, walking along the side like a bicycle, but the stares from the passing drivers hurt. This portacool is getting in the way.
I also pass by a lot of people with their smartphones pointed here.
Are they collecting evidence to take to the police because I’m being a nuisance?
From now on, I’m putting it in the Storage space and taking it out when I enter the dungeon.
◇ ◇ ◇
The eleventh floor.
I put raw eggs inside the portacool and have it run to test it.
It’s pretty uneven and shakes, so I figured this would be no good, but it has big tires and nice suspension, so the eggs don’t break.
It dodges obstacles easily as it follows me. When I go over a boulder on purpose, it goes around it. Pretty nifty.
It moves via magic energy, which can be charged with the cable on its side.
Once charged it can go for one day, and it takes about a tenth of my magic energy. But my Magic Energy circulation can recover that in minutes.
I imagine a party could take turns charging it, so that shouldn’t be a problem.
If it comes to that, a magic potion would do the trick, but the price makes that a last resort.
Even in the dungeon I see seekers holding their smartphones. Are they filming people doing it?
What a nasty hobby, I think as I end a goblin with an earth stake.
As I think about doing a bit of mining, someone calls out to me.
I turn and see five men and women, who bow and thank me for something.
I don’t know who they are, so I ask, and they tell me I saved them the other day. Like a crane repaying kindness.
Hn? I think back, and finally remember.
And the moment I do, I lose interest and ask them what they want.
They say they’ll definitely make it up to me. That they’ll return the potions they used eventually, and won’t do that in the dungeon anymore.
They look pretty earnest, so I tell them it’s okay. And that I was the one who decided to use the potions, so they don’t have to return them. Do your best out there.
They thank me again, but I notice one of them is missing.
There’s three women and two men, meaning there’s one guy missing. Did he not make it?
I’m worried, so I ask without thinking.
And I regret doing so.
The women look sad and cast their eyes down.
One of the guys lost it that day after they were attacked by monsters.
…His dear buddy down there.
I feel a chill on my crotch.
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So shes doing well now