I, Koharu Sakaki, was really in a hurry. Things were not going according to plan with Rokujou at all. At this rate, Kazuya would die inside the dungeon. I think he won’t die immediately since he has a handgun, but there’s no doubt he’s in a very dangerous situation.
“Why are you two so calm! Ikemoto has entered the dungeon! If we don’t go after him quickly, he’ll die!” -Koharu
“It’s impossible to go after him.” -Rokujou
“Why! You two are Level 3, right!? At this rate, our classmate will die!?” -Koharu
“Level 3… What are you talking about?” -Rokujou
For some reason, Rokujou tilted his head. He looked like he really didn’t understand what I was saying.
“I’m saying, you two are explorers and Level 3, right!?” -Koharu
“K-Koharu, calm down. That was just a joke. There’s no way we’re Level 3. We just wanted to look cool at school for a bit.”
“Look cool?” -Koharu
“Y-Yeah. You said it too, Koharu. Going into the dungeon empty-handed is like going to your death. W-We’re not Level 3 or anything. We just came to check what equipment there was before going to D-Rank. I’m sorry I made a joke, I didn’t think you’d take it seriously.” -Misuzu
“Lies… But yesterday at school. No, more importantly, we have to go to the dungeon and save Ka- no, Ikemoto, or he’ll die!” -Koharu
“Hey, hey, miss. You shouldn’t say crazy things to your friends. Besides, you can’t force someone into the dungeon. If you push too hard for someone to enter, the dungeon will start to dislike you.”
As we were arguing in the dungeon shop, a man called out to us. He was an explorer. It seemed to be a party of 5 men, with 4 waiting behind him, all of them quite well-equipped. They looked good too.
However, they weren’t so good-looking that it was extreme. They were sufficiently handsome, but there was a limit to how good-looking they could get. In the dungeon, one’s appearance improves. But that’s always based on your original face, so there’s a limit.
Most were about as handsome as these guys, and there were even some who remained ugly. Well, that was really rare though. These guys were also in the good-looking category. I thought that I wanted to at least become as good-looking as them.
“Ah, then, will you guys bring Ikemoto back?” -Koharu
“Us?” -Rokujou
“Yes. Please. He’s my friend. Can you go in and help him?” -Koharu
“Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve never heard of helping someone who entered the dungeon of their own free will. Whether they live or die is up to them. If they become strong, lucky them. That’s what being an explorer is about. Helping is just being meddlesome.”
“No, but, Ikemoto is different.” -Koharu
“How so? It’s a bit hard to understand what you mean by ‘different’ when he was able to enter the dungeon.”
One cannot enter the dungeon without their own will. That’s the nature of the dungeon. So no one must have forced Kazuya to enter the dungeon. I just took advantage of Kazuya’s fear of Rokujou.
“I don’t understand how…” -Koharu
“Oh-ho. Could it be that he’s your boyfriend or something, miss? I get that you’re worried, but if that kid is liked by the dungeon, he’ll come back alive for sure. A woman waiting for a man has no choice but to believe in him.”
“Hey, Ken! Stop messing around with the kid and let’s go already.”
“Yeah, yeah. You’re the one who suddenly said you were ‘entranced by Ryujin-sama’ and woke us up on our day off.”
“That’s right. You’re the one who said something gross like ‘I wouldn’t mind being violated by Ryujin-sama’.”
“Well, that’s how it is, so sorry. Now, let’s go get acknowledged by Ryujin-sama and become stronger. Then, hehehe.”
Ryujin-sama wasn’t female, right? Ah, so he swung that way. No, more importantly, those people didn’t seem like they would help at all. As I was worrying about what to do, Rokujou pulled my hand to leave the shop for now.
Rokujou seemed to be minding the surroundings, and after passing Sensoji Temple and getting quite far, he said he had something to talk about and looked at me.
“R-Rokujou. You really won’t help? Ikemoto, he’ll really die, you know? Are you okay with that?” -Koharu
“Sakaki-san, I had no choice but to say that there, but it’s true that we’re explorers and Level 3.” -Rokujou
Rokujou said that with a smile. For some reason, his face also looked angry. I felt like I was being seen through.
“What do you mean?” -Koharu
“Sorry. We lied there. But it’s your fault for saying unnecessary things in a place like that, Sakaki-san.” -Rokujou
“Then hurry up and enter the dungeon! Rokujou! You can do it, right!?” -Koharu
*Slap*
I felt an impact on my cheek. I realized Misuzu had slapped me.
“Wh-What are you doing?” -Koharu
“Yuuta, I’m sorry. I’m going to stop going to school too.” -Misuzu
“…Well, that surprised me more than I thought it would, Sakaki-san. But if you’ve never entered the dungeon, it’s like this. I was also a mess at first. Misuzu, you shouldn’t hit your friend either.” -Rokujou
“More importantly, what should we do? It’s pretty bad, right?” -Misuzu
“Well, it’s probably fine. Misuzu, let’s dispel our disguises for now.” -Rokujou
“I-Is it okay? Is anyone still watching?” -Misuzu
“It’s fine. It’s okay, Sakaki-san. Actually, our current appearances aren’t like this. Misuzu.” -Rokujou
“Y-Yeah.” -Misuzu
They apologized, saying that what they said earlier about not being Level 3 was a lie. On top of that, I thought Misuzu’s appearance was oddly bad, but it seems she was in disguise, and when she reverted to her original form, she became the scarily beautiful Misuzu again. Even so, I didn’t know what to do and my head was a mess.
Kazuya had a handgun.
With that handgun he purchased at the dungeon shop before the two arrived, Kazuya was set up to wait for Rokujou inside the dungeon. Someone around Level 3 should be sufficiently scared by that. And then he would show a disgraceful sight in front of Misuzu.
I had asked Kazuya to beat the 100-year-old love out of me so badly that it would cool down. I thought it would be possible if I had a gun. Guns were still effective against humans, I had heard, so the plan itself shouldn’t have been bad.
“So, so, Rokujou. Will you go and help Kazuya?” -Koharu
“I’m sorry, Koharu, but that’s impossible for me. Right… Yuuta?” -Misuzu
Misuzu was being very considerate of Rokujou. She seemed to be afraid of being scolded for making a big mistake. No, more than that, she seemed to be at a loss as to what Rokujou was thinking.
“Misuzu, it’s okay. Just trust me.” -Rokujou
“O-okay. I understand. I’ll do as Yuuta says. That’s fine, right?” -Misuzu
“That’s fine. Hey, Sakaki-san. We didn’t bring proper equipment. I feel bad for Ikemoto, but we can’t chase after him. Even on the 1st floor, if we do something wrong, there’s a possibility that I could die too.” -Rokujou
“Even though you’re level 3?” -Koharu
“Even at level 3. Going against goblins barehanded is like saying ‘please kill me’. You can’t do it either, right Misuzu?” -Misuzu
“Yeah, impossible. Absolutely impossible. Goblins have swords, bows, and some even shoot guns, so it’s just too dangerous.” -Rokujou
However, even though the two of them were really level 3, they said they couldn’t chase after him. Rokujou was wearing slacks and a branded outer jacket. His gacha luck of 4 wasn’t a lie – he looked quite well-off.
“Rokujou, are you still human…?” -Koharu
But was Rokujou always this good-looking? There was no trace of the unreliable impression he had before, and his face had changed to a rugged one. It wasn’t like he had deviated from his original face, but more like his original face had been polished to become like this.
His appearance was too good for a level 3. It looked like he had already reached the appearance limit of level 10. I realized that I had only been thinking about Misuzu and hadn’t been properly looking at Rokujou’s face. What the heck. He was this handsome? I unintentionally stared at him, entranced.
No, this wasn’t the time for that. What should I do about Kazuya?
“…I’m going to go tell Kazuya to stop being stupid and come back.” -Koharu
The moment I said those words, my feet froze. I had no money left. I would have to enter the dungeon without anything. But I was the one who had egged Kazuya on. He was my current boyfriend. I couldn’t just abandon him.
“Sakaki-san…” -Rokujou
Rokujou stared at me as if he had seen through something. And he continued speaking. It sounded strangely insincere and yet sweet to my ears.
“Sorry. I misunderstood you, Sakaki-san. If you feel that strongly, I won’t stop you. Besides, I want to continue being an explorer from now on. So I can’t stop people from entering the dungeon. But entering without any equipment is like going to your death. I just wanted to let you know that much.” -Rokujou
“That’s… true, isn’t it.” -Koharu
For a moment, I thought someone would stop me. But neither Rokujou nor Misuzu seemed inclined to stop me. If you’re going to be an explorer, you can’t stop people from entering the dungeon. That’s why no one will stop me. But isn’t Misuzu being a bit too heartless?
In the first place, why did I try to do such an extreme thing? I thought I knew more about the dungeon than anyone else. I liked the cool explorers who entered the dungeon. Some of them could even surpass celebrities and become really cool.
Those were the people whose charm value exceeded 50.
Those people were so cool that they put celebrities to shame. If I entered the dungeon, I could become cool like them too. Unlike Misuzu, my face was mediocre. I wasn’t particularly ugly, but I was a mob character at best.
I had a typical Japanese face. Small eyes, flat nose, and even freckles. My only redeeming feature was my large breasts. I desperately tried to look cute by putting my hair in braided pigtails, but no one had ever called them cute.
“You know, explorers are way prettier and cooler than someone like Misuzu.” -Koharu
I remembered the words I had said to Misuzu a long time ago. I was so ordinary compared to Misuzu that I was envious of her. That’s why I desperately taught Misuzu, who eagerly listened to my stories about explorers, about them.
Just teaching Misuzu, who was far more beautiful than me, about explorers made me feel great. But before I knew it, Misuzu had entered the dungeon without my knowledge. She had become level 3. She was happily talking about Rokujou.
I couldn’t stand it.
Ah, I see…
I realized my true feelings when I thought that far.
I didn’t really want to help Misuzu.
I was jealous of Misuzu…
I thought the dungeon was the only thing I was better at than her, the only thing I wouldn’t lose to her at, but before I knew it, I had lost that too, and it was frustrating. That’s why I wanted to make Rokujou, who Misuzu liked, cry and scream pathetically in front of her.
“Sorry. My bad for making an unreasonable request. Rokujou, I apologize to you too. I think I was a bit crazy for a moment there. Now that I think about it, there’s no reason to help Kazuya who was bullying you.” -Koharu
Kazuya, I’m sorry. Just die in the dungeon like that. I realized I actually hated you. You were so violent, and remember when you called me “ugly”? I was so pissed off at that time. I cried when I got home.
That doesn’t mean I hated you enough to kill you, but you kept bullying Rokujou all this time, so you can’t complain even if you die, right? I’ll just enter the dungeon briefly and come right back out, pretend to cry, and have the now cool Rokujou comfort me.
“Haa, if you’re going to take such a pious attitude…” -Rokujou
When I thought that far, the handsome Rokujou looked at me as if he had no choice. My heart skipped a beat when Rokujou looked at me.
“Yuuta. Are you going in?” -Misuzu
“I wasn’t going to go in if Sakaki-san hadn’t said she would, but I guess I have no choice. Sakaki-san, you wait here too. I’ll go check things out a bit. I’m not worried about Ikemoto at all – in fact, I hope he dies.” -Rokujou
What’s with this guy? He’s really become a hunk, even in his words and actions. Rokujou’s face was so handsome. Looking at him made my heart race.
“Rokujou, you’re going to enter the dungeon for someone like Kazuya?” -Koharu
“I have no choice. I don’t care if Ikemoto dies, but it would be troubling if Sakaki-san died.” -Rokujou
Saying such things, Rokujou smiled at me who had been thinking such thoughts. What a great guy, I thought. He’s so kind. Kazuya called me ugly, but this guy is willing to act for my sake? For the sake of mediocre-looking me? So I naturally said:
“S-sorry. I made trouble for you, Rokujou. I’ll refrain from entering the dungeon after all.” -Koharu
“Huh? Are you sure? Aren’t you worried about Ikemoto? Or were you not worried from the start?” -Rokujou
“Yeah. I’m not worried about him at all. To be honest, I was annoyed that he forced himself to come along with me.” -Koharu
I change boyfriends quite often. So in order to avoid trouble, I make sure not to tell anyone when I’m dating someone. If people found out that Kazuya is my current boyfriend, they might think I’m quite a heartless woman, but even Misuzu doesn’t know that, so it’s fine.
“Is that so?” -Rokujou
“Yeah. I didn’t want to, but Ikemoto kept insisting, ‘Let me come with you.’ I’m sorry, Rokujou. It must have been unpleasant for you.” -Koharu
“Well, yeah, it was unpleasant, but it must have been for you too, Sakaki-san. In that case, we’re even.” -Rokujou
“You know what? Ikemoto entered the dungeon of his own will. I don’t have the right to interfere with that either. Ikemoto said, ‘If Rokujou-kun can do it, there’s no reason I can’t. I’m going to become an explorer of my own volition.’ So I think we should just leave him be.” -Koharu
“…” -Rokujou
Rokujou kind of hung his head, his shoulders shaking. Could he be crying? Crying for Kazuya who bullied him?
Ah, and I’m the worst. I’ve always looked down on Rokujou for being bullied, and now that he’s become cool, I’ve fallen for him. And I thought it was fine for Kazuya, who might expose my dark side, to die.
“I-I see. Well, in that case, there’s no obligation to help him. I mean, if he entered with resolve, he might even come out with results. If that happens, I can’t afford to be careless either. Misuzu, let’s work hard again from the day after tomorrow.” -Rokujou
“Yeah, it’ll be fine. Yuuta won’t lose to someone like Ikemoto. I won’t let him lose.” -Misuzu
Reassured by my words, the two of them left. Misuzu naturally clung to Rokujou’s arm. “I’m really sorry for causing you trouble. Tell me anything. I’ll do anything.” “I’m really not angry.” Rokujou gently spoke to her like that.
I wanted to be in Misuzu’s position.
If I wanted to do that, I’d have to gather companions and enter the dungeon myself, not through D-Rank. But I don’t have the guts for that after all.
“I feel a little sorry for Ikemoto…” -Koharu
They say if you bully someone, you’ll have it coming to you. I feel like there was a saying like that. Maybe it was a bit different. I guess it was Ikemoto’s turn. Since the dungeon appeared, there have been countless stories of 15-year-olds dying.
My brother also died in the dungeon. Since the dungeon appeared, death has become not such a distant story even in this Japan. Is that why? Even though someone would die because of my stupid idea, I didn’t feel that much guilt.
“But if even Rokujou could become that cool, I can probably expect the same for myself. Ah, I’m looking forward to it. I want to go to Musashino soon.” -Koharu
“Hey, little miss. Lying is bad, you know.”
I was suddenly called out to from behind. When I turned around, there were 5 beautiful older girls standing there. They were the explorers who had been inside the dungeon shop earlier. They were scantily clad, giving off a bewitching and mysterious vibe.
“You’re going with this one? Even though that one looks more interesting.”
“That one’s no good. He’s noticed us, and he even took off his disguise because of that.”
“Is that so?”
“That’s right. He’s telling us not to lay a hand on him. He’s a very clever boy. I bet he didn’t really intend to help in the first place, but he just acted cool in front of her.”
“Hm, so he was bargaining with us mid-levels without even speaking to us directly? He’s got quite the guts.”
“Fufu, interesting. There are kids like that from time to time.”
“Just because he doesn’t want to help himself, telling us to help instead, how cheeky, right?”
“He didn’t seem like that bad of a kid though. He’s cool too.”
“Anyway, that one’s no good. I have a really bad feeling about him. I feel like if we get involved with him, we’ll lose out big time. And for some reason, I feel like even if we chase him, he’ll slip away.”
“I wonder what kind of item it is? I couldn’t appraise it either.”
“Giving him something like that means he’s quite favored. He must be high-level.”
“Scary, scary.”
“I want to talk to him~”
“Um, do you need something?” -Koharu
My feet naturally took a step back.
“Don’t be so scared~. It’s okay~. I’m Kagura. I’m kind to girls.” -Kagura
“Kyahaha. What a scam.”
“It’s not a scam. It’s really okay. We’re good-natured explorers who don’t kill.” -Kagura
“Hey, if we don’t hurry, that boy’s going to die. Even though it’s been 3 months, he’ll get killed by goblins.”
“Ah, that’s right. Hey, little miss. That boy is Ikemoto Kazuya, right?” -Kagura
“Y-yes. That’s right.” -Koharu
“Then, we’ll help you rescue that little puppy named Ikemoto Kazuya~.” -Kagura
A hand was gently placed on my shoulder. When she did that, I felt really good for some reason.
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