Akatsuki Translations

“I’m glad. You seem to be doing well.” -Imari

“I’m glad to hear that. Miss Imari.” -Evie

The moment I thought I would be separated from Yuuta, an overwhelming sense of loss came over me. Even I thought that phone call was uncalled for. The dark emotions inside me erupted all at once. I sincerely wished they wouldn’t take Yuuta away from me, and I grew to hate Kiriyama Misuzu so much that I wanted to kill her.

I feel relieved by the letter from Yuuta that arrived from the dungeon. It contained contents about him worrying about me and a general explanation that he was steadily leveling up. It seems he’s getting along well with Kiriyama Misuzu and Evie Nova Timberlake too.

“David, Mark. Thank you for going this far for me.” -Imari

I bowed my head to David and Mark, who delivered the letter to me.

“Don’t be so formal, Imari. Part of it is that we also wanted to see the inside of the dungeon again.”  -David

“I never knew a dungeon could be such an enviable place.” -Mark

“Mark. You always say one word too many.” -David

“Heh, David. We were really such fools.” -Mark

“Well, that’s the one thing I agree with.” -David

“I heard you two are level 10.” -Imari

I was curious about their exchange. So Yuuta is doing that sort of thing with those two after all. It really makes me sick. Why was my birthday later than Yuuta’s? If I had been even just one day earlier, I definitely wouldn’t have left any gaps for other women to enter…

“Haha, we’re just kidding though. We don’t feel like we can beat level 4 Yuuta anyway.” -Mark

“Well, I don’t think Imari will fail, but make sure to listen to what Yuuta says and level up. Otherwise, you’ll end up regretting it beyond imagination like us.” -David

“Mistakes in leveling up?” -Imari

Recently, it’s been gradually mentioned. With dungeon collapses and such, no country had the leisure to question the quality of leveling up. However, with the large number of high-level explorers in Japan, researchers gradually started to focus on why that was the case.

And it became clear that even just one level up made a huge difference in quality. As it became understood, it also became known which country was failing at it the most. It was America, which had lifted all restrictions on the use of heavy weapons inside dungeons.

America is now desperately trying to make a comeback. Still, the poor who couldn’t afford heavy weapons were becoming high-level explorers, and the conflict between the poor and the wealthy was intensifying, making it difficult to achieve high-quality level ups, as reported in the news.

“Yeah, just failing up to level 10 is already irreversible. It really makes you sick.” -David

“Seeing Yuuta doing so well that it’s almost suspicious just brings back our regrets. We could have done it like that too. Watching him makes me want to punch our old selves.” -Mark

“That’s true… ” -David

“Was Yuuta in the dungeon really that amazing?” -Imari

I asked without thinking. No matter what, my image of Yuuta was strongly that of a gloomy, dull, and bullied kid. It felt strange to hear him being praised by such strong-looking, muscular people.

“He was like an American comic hero even though he was only level 4.” -David

“American comics, like Superman?” -Imari

“He wasn’t flying though.” -David

“Imari, I love American comics. I always thought about how I wanted to become like Superman. After joining the military, I was recommended Japanese manga like crazy. I got totally hooked. I admired how cool and stylish those guys were. That’s why I jumped at the chance when the dungeon appeared. I thought, ‘I’m gonna become Superman too.’” -Mark

“Me too.” -David

I listened to David and Mark’s complaints in exchange for having them do what I needed. But it was informative. The last time he came back, Yuuta had become so handsome that he was unrecognizable.

Now it seems he’s reached an even higher level. Bugs that have only seen Yuuta’s cool side and know nothing about the real him are flocking to him. I entrusted my own letter to David and the others to deliver to Yuuta as well.

After David and the others left, and it became quiet, I was back to the cold winter night in Japan. When I was alone, I got sloppy and made do with deli food I bought at the convenience store. Still, I made sure to take a bath, thinking Yuuta would hate it if I was dirty.

I came out, dried my hair in my own room, and when I got up, I entered Yuuta’s room. Of course, Yuuta wasn’t there, and dungeon-related materials and game consoles were scattered around messily.

“Yuuta…” -Imari

Receiving a letter from Yuuta made me feel even more lonely and want to see him sooner. When he’s back, those girls should have no complaints about me monopolizing him. After all, they’re together in the dungeon all the time. If he says he wants to go out somewhere, I definitely won’t allow it next time.

“Come back soon…” -Imari

I snuggled into Yuuta’s bed.

“It’s cold.” -Imari

No matter how hot it was inside the dungeon, it was still winter here, and I wrapped myself tightly with the comforter Yuuta always wears, from head to toe.