Akatsuki Translations

“Alright then. Make sure you properly explain the situation to your teacher.”  -Misuzu’s Mom

“I know, I know.” -Misuzu

“Are you sure? Maybe I should come with you after all?” -Misuzu’s Mom

“It’s fine, you said that yesterday too. Besides, didn’t you already explain things to Mom over the phone?” -Misuzu

It had been a while since I last wore my school uniform. Yesterday I had dozed off completely, and when I woke up it was 4 am. Seems like I slept for over 12 hours. I had been pushing myself a lot with potions, so I must have been really tired. When I woke up in the morning, Evie was clinging to Yuuta in the bed next to mine.

She made an excuse about being drunk, but it was suspicious. Yuuta seemed to have fallen asleep like that too, so I got a bit worried that they might have done something. But I couldn’t ask. I came back home still feeling uneasy about it, and Mom told me to “go to school”.

“Your classmates seem quite worried about you too. Properly explain to them that you’re going to be an explorer.” -Misuzu’s Mom

“I know, I know.” -Misuzu

“But still, to think you were able to find the stairs in just 10 days or so. I couldn’t even muster the will to look for them in such a huge space.” -Mei

My older sister Mei seemed to be home today, and she barged in on my conversation with Mom when I woke up. Her fluffy hair hung loose, and she wore a blouse and cardigan. She had nothing on the bottom. Her chest was even flatter than mine, and she was skinny, but still brimming with sex appeal.

She must have a lot of experience with that kind of stuff. Since this is my first time falling for someone and I don’t really know what to do, I thought about asking my sister for some advice. I’ll try asking her next time.

“Hey Misuzu. If your exploration is going well, could you help your big sis get to level 10?” -Mei

“Level 10? Ahh, I’d like to help, but…” -Misuzu

I often hear stories of family members whose levels have increased helping to raise the levels of their other family members. It’s an unpredictable world going forward. You never know when your family might get dragged into something if their levels don’t go up. 

So the higher-level family members help raise the levels of the others. That said, helping to raise levels is said to be quite difficult even inside the dungeon, so you have to research it thoroughly and discuss it carefully with your party before attempting it.

Well, even before that, it’s impossible in my current situation.

“I’d love to help, but sis, you’re beautiful so it’s better if you don’t go near the dungeon.” -Misuzu

“Ahh, is public safety that bad in Japan too?” -Mei

“It’s not so much public safety… In the world of explorers, we’re considered easy targets. American dungeons are apparently quite dangerous too, but even in Japanese dungeons there are some really dangerous areas. In our current situation, I might not be able to look after you properly, sis.” -Misuzu

“Wait Misuzu, is it going to be okay?” Mom asked with a worried look, overhearing us.

“Uh, yeah. The guy I’m exploring with is well-liked by high-level explorers, so he was able to lend us some disguise tools. So for now, Evie and I appear as a nondescript middle-aged couple in front of other explorers. So it’s fine.” -Misuzu

Even so, I don’t know how much that Nagumo guy can actually protect us. More than anything, he must have his hands full with his own deep-level exploration. It’s not like he can constantly watch over us from behind. But there was no point in telling Mom that.

“As long as you’re sure… Do your best and be careful not to do anything dangerous.” -Misuzu’s Mom

That’s impossible, but I nodded anyway.

“Being an explorer sure is tough. Sorry for butting in unnecessarily.” -Misuzu’s Mom

“No, my companion and I are also trying to do something about how abnormally weak we are right now. I think once we overcome that, I should be able to help out.” -Misuzu

“Level 3 being abnormally weak, huh… I had a tough time just getting to level 2 myself. Explorers really are something else. I honestly can’t comprehend exploring a place like that. Misuzu, you’re so brave to do it without getting scared. It’s okay to quit if it gets too frightening, you know?” -Misuzu’s Mom

“I won’t quit. Because apparently incredible things happen once you pass level 500. I heard even big shots in the government will be bowing their heads to you. Everyone wants to reach that, so desire is just swirling all around, you know.” -Misuzu

“I feel like Japan is especially bad when it comes to things like that.” -Misuzu’s Mom

“But if I’m with my current companions, I’m determined to reach level 1000.”  -Misuzu

“Wow, that’s amazing. Misuzu is a reincarnated individual, huh. Fufu, when that happens, treat me to a nice meal.” -Misuzu’s Mom

“Uh, sure. Leave it to me.” -Misuzu

I haven’t told anyone besides Yuuta and Evie about my gacha luck. Gacha luck 1, which normally makes people give up on being an explorer. Gacha luck 1, which means you’ll be short on money even if you manage to become a high-level explorer. Apparently gacha luck goes up a little as your level increases, so I should at least be able to treat them to a meal when that happens, right?

“Do your best, Misuzu. The future of our family rests on your shoulders.” -Misuzu’s Mom

“Y-Yeah!” -Misuzu

“Misuzu, you’ll definitely become a high-level explorer!” -Misuzu’s Mom

“Y-Yeah!” -Misuzu

“Misuzu, you’re amazing!” -Misuzu’s Mom

“Y-Yeah!” -Misuzu

“Misuzu, you’re so cute!” -Misuzu’s Mom

“Y-Yeah!” -Misuzu

“Fufu.” -Mei

My sister is laughing. She seems to be laughing a lot for some reason.

“G-Geez! Stop teasing me!” -Misuzu

“W-Well, I’m just joking. Do your best not to cause trouble for that companion of yours.” -Mei

“Y-Yeah…” -Misuzu

As usual, my sister Mei sees right through me, it’s a bit scary.

“Come to think of it, Misuzu, what kind of person is your companion?” -Misuzu’s Mom

Mom suddenly asked me.

“U-Um, well…” -Misuzu

“That’s right. Mom, how about asking Misuzu to help you get to level 3 once she reaches around level 200?”  -Mei

“N-No, I’m fine. There’s no way I could swing a sword around and kill living creatures.” -Misuzu’s Mom

“But I heard you won’t get things like menopause symptoms even at just level 3. I think getting to level 3 shouldn’t be too dangerous in Japan as long as you have someone properly guiding you.” -Mei

“R-Really?”  -Misuzu’s Mom

“Misuzu, hurry up and go. You’ll be late.” -Misuzu’s Mom

I left Mom to my sister Mei, glanced at Dad who seemed to want to say something to me in the back, and left the house. Still, I wonder what was up with Evie clinging to Yuuta that morning. It really bothers me.

“I absolutely don’t want Yuuta to be taken away. But Evie is indispensable to the party, and she’s unexpectedly kind at times… No, wait, didn’t Evie have a boyfriend? She should just call him over instead of making a move on Yuuta… There’d be no problem with that guy entering the dungeon too.” -Misuzu

As I walked the familiar path to school, my mind was not at all focused on that direction. Even though it’s been a while since I went to school, and I took care to straighten my bangs and tie my hair back, putting in a good amount of effort, I kept thinking about unrelated things. 

The boys and girls wearing the same uniforms walking around me looked strangely childish. I felt like I was in a completely different place than them now. The only one walking the same path as me was Yuuta.

“Misuzu!? Wow, it’s Misuzu!”

Suddenly my name was called out. It was quite loud so I turned around. There were more of my classmates, and the school was getting closer. The one who called out to me was Sakaki Koharu, a pure-looking girl with freckles and pigtails, the friend I got along with best in my current class.

“Ah, good morning Koharu.” -Misuzu

“Never mind ‘good morning’! Misuzu, is it true that you entered the dungeon without permission!?” -Koharu

“Haha, what are you saying, Koharu? You’re supposed to enter the dungeon without permission. And I’ve reached level 3 now.” -Misuzu

“Wh-What, really!? So does that mean you’re stronger than the heavyweight boxing champion now, Misuzu!?”  -Koharu

It’s said that reaching level 3 makes you stronger than the heavyweight boxing champion. It’s because of a shocking demonstration program in America that reaching level 3 is described that way.

“I don’t know about that, but Yuuta said he could run 100m in under 9 seconds.” -Misuzu

“Yuuta? …Who’s that?” -Koharu

Koharu tilted her head but started walking beside me. I spotted some familiar faces here and there. The other kids didn’t call out to me, but I could tell they were looking at me with interest, seeing me back at school after 2 weeks.

“Yuuta Rokujou, our classmate.” -Misuzu

“Rokujou… Huh?” -Koharu

“You know him, don’t you Koharu? Yuuta Rokujou.” -Misuzu

“Wait, what? You don’t mean that Rokujou?” -Koharu

Koharu’s brow furrowed as if she had just heard a really unpleasant name. I hadn’t really paid attention, but it seemed Koharu was well aware of the bullying Yuuta faced in class. After all, it was Koharu who had told me about Yuuta’s situation, including the bullying.

“I ran into him by chance in front of the dungeon, and now we’re exploring together. There’s also another girl, a foreigner named Emma. She’s an acquaintance of my sister’s. Yuuta’s sister will be joining us as a fourth member in March. Isn’t it amazing to have a party of 4 coming together at this time?” -Misuzu

One of them was the American supermodel Evie Nova Timberlake, but that was a secret. The three of us had discussed it and decided to keep Evie’s name under wraps to avoid standing out in a bad way.

“S-Sorry. That was a bit too much information to process at once. First of all, I wanted to ask – weren’t you supposed to go to a D-rankschool, Misuzu? I was quite shocked when you weren’t there for the acceptance announcement.” -Koharu

“Huh? Ah, sorry! I totally forgot! I got accepted?” -Misuzu

Koharu and I had taken the entrance exam for Musashino Dungeon High School together, and we had talked about how we were both almost 100% sure we had passed. That’s why we had promised to go see the acceptance announcement together. However, on the day of the announcement, I was in the middle of searching for the dungeon stairs and had completely forgotten about it.

“It was a D-Rank exam. You probably got in.” -Koharu

The acceptance rate for D-ranks is nearly 100%. The government has adopted this policy under the pretext of not interfering with those who want to enter the dungeon. And next year, the first batch of graduates from the D-ranks will finally be coming out in large numbers. Despite the 100% acceptance rate, the graduation rate is less than 10%.

Even so, there are apparently about 30,000 students in Japan alone who are expected to graduate. Currently, the average level of graduates is said to be 30, and because their intelligence and physical abilities increase dramatically, they are already attracting a lot of attention from companies even though it’s still over a year away.

“Is that so? Mom didn’t say anything about it though. Maybe she doesn’t care either way.” -Misuzu

“What do you mean either way? Misuzu, don’t tell me you’re planning to become an explorer as is?” -Koharu

Koharu looked at me as if questioning my sanity. Koharu wouldn’t do something as reckless as suddenly entering the dungeon, but she knew more about the dungeon than I did. I suspect she might even know more than Yuuta. After all, a lot of my knowledge about the dungeon came from Koharu.

“Yeah, I’m not going to a D-rank.” -Misuzu

“You’re deciding something so important that easily? Isn’t graduating from a D-rank absolutely more stable for your future than becoming a stray explorer?” -Koharu

“I did put quite a bit of thought into this decision, you know.” -Misuzu

“But that’s not normal. Your parents would never allow it, right?” -Koharu

“Koharu. I talked to my parents and got them to understand. I’m going to become an explorer with Yuuta, Ev- no, Emma. And Yuuta’s sister, Imari-chan. We found the stairs to the 2nd floor yesterday, so we’re planning to stay in the dungeon again in 3 days.” -Misuzu

“What?” -Koharu

Koharu had a dumbfounded look on her face. Perhaps because my words had caught her so off guard, her mouth was hanging open.

“Misuzu, have you lost your mind? Do you even know what kind of place the dungeon is? And Yuuta Rokujou, it’s that Rokujou, right? Come to think of it, before you stopped coming to school for 2 weeks, you asked me about Rokujou.” -Koharu

“Ah, yeah. That information was useful. To be honest, I didn’t really have much of an impression of Yuuta even though we were in the same class… This is a secret from Yuuta, okay? I don’t want him to hate me.” -Misuzu

“Who cares if he hates you? No offense, but you and Rokujou are on completely different levels, Misuzu.” -Koharu

“What’s that supposed to mean?” -Misuzu

“You’re partying with such an unreliable-looking guy? And from what I hear, it’s not even a harem party. Misuzu, does Rokujou have some dirt on you or something?” -Koharu

“That’s way too rude to Yuuta. I’ll get angry even if it’s you, Koharu. I’m the one who asked Yuuta to let me join his party.” -Misuzu

“What!? Now you’re just joking around!” -Koharu

Koharu raised her voice, though I wasn’t sure what she was angry about. She raised her voice so clearly that even our classmates walking around us looked over to see what was going on.

“Why are you angry? If anything, I’m the one who wants to be angry.” -Koharu

“I mean, isn’t Rokujou the one who’s always getting punched by Ikemoto? Of all people, he’s the most pathetic guy in our class. There’s no way he could be your party member, Misuzu. If the other guys find out, Rokujou will definitely get beaten to a pulp.” -Misuzu

“They’re going to beat Yuuta to a pulp? Koharu, are you being serious?” -Koharu

I glared at Koharu, quite ticked off.

“D-Don’t glare at me with such a pretty face. Misuzu, haven’t you gotten scarily beautiful? Ah, no, of course I wouldn’t do something like that. But the guys will, won’t they?” -Koharu

“There’s no way that’s possible.” -Misuzu

“Why not? It’s Rokujou, right?” -Koharu

“Yuuta is stronger than me, so how are they going to beat him up? Even I don’t think I’d lose if the guys in class came at me now.” -Misuzu

“W-Wait, even Rokujou is level 3?” -Koharu

“Well, of course. Yuuta leveled up before I did. He’s the one who helped me reach level 3.” -Misuzu

“Rokujou helped you…” -Koharu

Koharu seemed to find it very hard to believe. I guess that’s how unremarkable Yuuta was in class. I can’t really talk though, since I barely even noticed his existence. In hindsight, I was an idiot back then.

I didn’t know that Yuuta was being bullied, and I never paid attention to him. If I had been more attentive back then, I could have gotten even closer to Yuuta than I am now. Then there wouldn’t have been any room for Evie to squeeze in.

“Yuuta is amazing, you know. He can single-handedly wipe out a group of 6 goblins.” -Misuzu

“Hmm… I feel like the Rokujou in my mind and the Rokujou in your mind are like two different people.” -Koharu

“They’re the same. There’s only one Rokujou Yuuta in our class, right?” -Misuzu

“Can he really do something like that?” -Koharu

“He does it easily. Yuuta is the strongest in our party.” -Misuzu

“What about his gacha luck then?” -Koharu

“Yuuta also has the best gacha luck.” -Misuzu

“Like 3?” -Koharu

“That’s not even the average. Ga- No, that doesn’t matter anyway.” -Misuzu

That was close, I almost said something unnecessary. I knew exactly what would happen if I said he had a 5 when even having a 4 is considered amazing. But Koharu is very knowledgeable about dungeons, no matter what. And she gets incredibly interested.

“…D-Don’t tell me he has gacha luck 4?” -Koharu

“O-Of course he doesn’t have that much. He’s level 3.” -Misuzu

“But you said something about it not being the average. It’s 4, isn’t it? Right? If that’s true, then isn’t Rokujou a winner in life!?” -Koharu

Koharu knows far more about dungeons than I do. Koharu, who had looked skeptical, suddenly changed her attitude and seemed to take interest. I didn’t answer, but she seemed to take that as confirmation.

“So that’s how it is! You should have said that first! I was really worried that you might have been hypnotized or something, Misuzu! I’m jealous. They say with 4D3 you can surpass level 100 with just that. In that case, let me join the Rokujou harem too.” -Koharu

What’s with this sudden change in attitude? Sure, having high gacha luck might be amazing, but to change her attitude so suddenly towards someone she was looking down on that much? Koharu seemed strangely insincere.

“What’s gotten into you, Koharu? You’ve been acting weird.” -Misuzu

“You’re the one who should have told me that first, Misuzu. I see. So you’re following Rokujou for the gacha, aren’t you?”  -Koharu

Hearing that, I wished I hadn’t said anything. It felt unpleasant, like she was clinging onto me for some reason. Did I do something to make Koharu angry?

“Gacha luck has nothing to do with it, but… is having high gacha luck really that amazing?” -Misuzu

“Of course it’s amazing. For example, most people start with gacha luck 3, but with 4D4, if the 4-digit number that comes up matches a predetermined number, you get a gold capsule containing a dungeon item that sells for at least 1 million yen.” -Koharu

“Sorry. I didn’t understand a word you just said, but first of all, what does ‘D’ mean?” -Misuzu

“D comes from the first letter of dice. Dice means, well, dice. So 4D4 means 4 dice, and those dice are 4-sided.” -Koharu

“Ah, so that’s why it’s 4D4. It means there are 4 dice with 4 sides each.” -Misuzu

“And you roll them.” -Koharu

“Ooh, I see.” -Misuzu

Koharu’s attitude was getting on my nerves, but I was incredibly interested in the gacha.

“For example, with gacha luck 3, for 4D4, it’s said that the gacha automatically rolls 4 4-sided dice behind the scenes.” -Koharu

“The gacha rolls the dice?” -Misuzu

“Based on the probability of getting a gold capsule, that’s said to be correct. It’s something that was figured out recently.” -Koharu

“I heard it comes out based on probability, but I didn’t know the exact numbers were known.” -Misuzu

“That’s right.” -Koharu

“Can you tell me more?” -Misuzu

I was endlessly curious about the gacha, so I asked for more details.

“Let’s say there’s a predetermined winning number like 4413, similar to a jumbo lottery. People with gacha luck 3 roll 4 4-sided dice, and if they don’t get this 4, 4, 1, and 3, a gold capsule won’t come out. On top of that, the order of the dice is predetermined. The die designated as 1st has to be a 4. The 2nd die has to be a 4. The 3rd die has to be a 1. If the 4th die isn’t a 3, it’s not a gold capsule.” -Koharu

“Isn’t that way too strict? People with gacha luck 1 would never get a jackpot.” -Misuzu

“Gacha luck 1?” -Koharu

“Ah, no, I was just wondering hypothetically, if someone had gacha luck 1, how would the dice roll work?” -Misuzu

“Someone with gacha luck 1 wouldn’t become an explorer, right?” -Koharu

“S-Still, I’m just curious what would happen if they did.” -Misuzu

“There aren’t many cases of people with such bad gacha luck becoming explorers so I don’t know for sure, but according to Tanaka, they don’t get gold capsules. Rainbow capsules apparently come out with lottery-like odds, but… since he said he only got one up to the 10th floor… maybe 4D7 or 8? Well, if Tanaka happened to be a lucky person who could win the lottery, it might be even worse.” -Koharu

“There’s no way a rainbow would ever come out with that!” -Misuzu

“It’s not impossible. With 4D7, you have a chance of getting one rainbow capsule if you roll the gacha 2401 times. With 4D8, it’s 4096 times.” -Koharu

“S-So you need 240 gacha coins? If it’s 8, then 410 coins?” -Misuzu

“I heard you typically get around 200-400 coins total per person from floors 1-10. Well, only about 1 in a million people have gacha luck 1, so it’s fine. Most have gacha luck 3 with 4D4 dice. A gold capsule comes out once every 296 times. It’s like getting a gold with 30 gacha coins. Well, even if you get a gold, the odds of getting a dedicated equipment are also around 1/3, so even with gacha luck 3, properly collecting dedicated equipment is apparently really difficult.” -Koharu

Hearing that, I felt dizzy. So that means I’m a gacha luck garbage woman, one in a million.

“Sorry for dragging you down, Yuuta.” -Misuzu

“Did you say something?” -Koharu

“No, it’s nothing. Hey, what are the dice like for gacha luck 4?” -Misuzu

“4D3, that’s right. 1 gold every 81 times.” -Koharu

“What about gacha luck 2?” -Misuzu

“4D5.” -Koharu

So gacha luck 5 would be 4D2. Rolling 4 2-sided dice, so 1 gold every 16 times… Yuuta…. More importantly, why am I the only one skipping to 4D7? If it was 4D8…

“The disparity is insane. I’m in despair.” -Misuzu

“Why? If Rokujou has a 4, he’s an amazingly good party member for you, Misuzu. By the way, if the lower 3 digits match, you get a silver capsule with something worth 100,000 yen or more. If the lower 2 digits match, it’s bronze.” -Koharu

“I-I see.” -Misuzu

But now that I think about it, it’s amazing that I got 3 silvers in the last gacha. Considering that, maybe a rainbow isn’t so impossible after all. It’d be great if I could get one at least once up to the 10th floor. No, but I definitely can’t sell a rainbow, and getting those silvers the other day was already basically a miracle.

Sigh, no wonder no one wants to party with me. There’s no merit other than potentially getting a rainbow… And even then, there will probably be considerable usage restrictions due to dungeon regulations…

“Gacha luck is said to be the most unfair among the stats. Those who start out good stay good, while those who are bad stay bad. It’s said there are chances for it to increase every 100 levels, but this is also more likely to happen for people with higher gacha luck.” -Koharu

“Koharu. I think my life points are about to hit zero.” -Misuzu

Still, Evie must have it pretty bad too. On top of that, if she has no chance of getting a rainbow, could gacha luck 2 possibly be the worst gacha luck…? Maybe I should be a bit nicer to Evie…? No, no, if I’m too nice to that blonde glamorous super beauty, Yuuta will be stolen from me in an instant.

More than anything, Evie has the rare job of summoner. If I remember correctly, there was also a summoner among the 12 heroes. [Kain of the Round Table Army]. It’s said that if Kain tells his summoned beasts to ‘crush it’, whether it’s a country or whatever else, it will be razed to the ground.

“Since only about 1 in 100,000 people have gacha luck 4, if you say someone has a 4 at level 3, low-level explorers and such will desperately try to party with them.” -Koharu

“But even without doing that, couldn’t you just pay a margin and have someone with good gacha luck roll for you?” -Misuzu

“Too bad. The system is set up so that gacha can only be rolled by people in the same party using coins found inside the dungeon. It used to be possible, but the method you mentioned became rampant, so dungeon regulations were imposed and debugging was implemented. So even if someone with good gacha luck finds coins from a different party, for some reason they can’t roll with them. That’s how it works.” -Koharu

“Tough luck.” -Misuzu

“Well, if there was a man with gacha luck 4, any woman would enter the dungeon with him.” -Koharu

“Koharu. Stop with the suggestive way of talking. I’ve been saved by Yuuta countless times inside the dungeon. I don’t know what kind of image you have of him, but I think I’m alive now thanks to Yuuta. So don’t say things that make light of him. Besides, you’ll understand if you actually enter the dungeon. No matter how much gacha luck you have, when it’s time to die, you die.” -Misuzu

“Well, I suppose that’s true.” -Koharu

It’s true that Koharu is knowledgeable about dungeons. So she should understand at least that much.

“But why only Misuzu…” -Koharu

“Hm?” -Misuzu

“Could Rokujou have possibly gotten more handsome? Like his face suddenly becoming more good-looking… Do you know, Misuzu? There’s an interesting characteristic about the charm stat. It increases in equal values up to level 10.” -Koharu

“O-Oh really.” -Misuzu

“And you know what? People who are truly favored by the dungeon. People who can become high-level explorers, apparently this stat increases by 7 or 8 in equal increments for them.” -Koharu

“Y-Yuuta hasn’t gotten that much more handsome at all, really.” -Misuzu

“Hmm.” -Koharu

Koharu fell silent. She seemed to be angry about something, but I didn’t quite understand the reason. Is she angry because I did something reckless? Or something else entirely…? Still, even Koharu is like this. Middle school students these days are very interested in dungeons.

The news reports the brilliant exploits of high-level explorers almost every day. When something dangerous happens in Japan, it’s the high-level explorers who show up and solve it like heroes. Even in wars, the Self-Defense Forces are useless and nothing can be done without high-level explorers.

The adults view it with concern, but we admire it. I wonder if I can really make it that far. When I saw my status in the dungeon that day, I honestly felt disappointed. Gacha luck 1. On top of that, the magic and skills that came out when I leveled up were for the archer job, which is said to be mediocre.

I thought that this definitely wouldn’t work. Even so, Yuuta is kind, and even though he must know that I’m finished as an explorer, he’s letting me continue as a companion without saying anything. I’m really glad I didn’t go to a D-rank. If I had gone, I wouldn’t have been able to find even party members.

Yuuta…

I’m sorry for dragging you down.

You know, I really do like you…

Even if your face had not have become handsome, I would have come to like you…

So please believe in me…

I’m sure I’ll become able to help you more than Evie can…