That night, after our conversation with Yonezaki, I was talking with Evie.
“Really, I’m getting sick of this scorching sun every day,” Evie said.
“When we get to the fourth floor, you’ll miss the sun,” I replied.
“I suppose so,” she said.
The sun continued to illuminate the earth, regardless of our mood. Evie and I were sitting in the savanna, in an area where we had almost wiped out a settlement. We hadn’t completely eliminated it, as it would be troublesome if the Emperor appeared at this point, but it was a fairly safe area.
Still, as a precaution, Rai and Lean were keeping watch under the neighboring acacia tree. As usual, the diverse animals moved about just like in Earth’s savanna, undeterred by the heat. Even the elephants were bathing in the watering hole, probably due to the heat.
It was the first time Evie and I had talked alone since that day.
“Yuuta,” Evie said.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Watching you talk with Yonezaki, I thought… I really need that man to reach level 1000. To be honest, I didn’t really understand Yonezaki’s initial explanation either. I was the same as Misuzu. I thought, ‘Explain properly from start to finish, you idiot.’ I really hate people who put on airs like that,” she admitted.
“I see,” I said.
“I don’t want to lose to Misuzu. So I was desperately pretending to understand,” Evie continued.
“That’s how it goes. I had a hard time pretending to understand school studies too. I think I understand dungeon stuff now because it’s all I’ve been thinking about. You know, like how baseball players might be bad at school subjects but know everything about baseball. I think it’s just about excelling in one area,” I explained.
“You never change,” Evie said with a laugh, which made me feel relieved. She had been down ever since that day.
“Yuuta probably doesn’t care whether I’m here or not, right?” Her words from before echoed in my mind. Why couldn’t I strongly deny them then?
“I don’t think I’m that great of a person or a good man, to be honest,” I said.
“I know. I think I understand you pretty well. Lately, I’ve been thinking you’re an ‘enemy of women,’ making girls fall for you but not loving them back,” Evie replied.
“I-I see,” I stammered.
“Walking gracefully on the runway… I thought that was the meaning of my life. I lived by cutting away everything unnecessary for that. But coming to Japan and seeing you, at first I liked you out of rivalry with Misuzu. Then, even after being treated badly many times, for some reason I couldn’t hate you,” she explained.
“Is that because of my status?” I asked.
“That’s mean to ask. But… it would be a lie to say that’s not part of it. Your status clearly shows how much the dungeon favors you,” Evie admitted.
“Yeah, that’s true…” I had noticed it too but pretended not to. But after surpassing level 10 and my face becoming so attractive, it became impossible to ignore.
“To be honest, Evie, you’re so beautiful it scares me. From the first time I saw you, I thought you were more beautiful than a fairy. That’s why I couldn’t really understand why you liked me so much,” I confessed.
“I see…” Evie didn’t try to touch me.
“Yuuta, I’ve realized I’m more of an ordinary girl when it comes to love than I thought. I thought I could handle it more skillfully, but I couldn’t at all,” she said.
“Skillful? You came on so strong without thinking, it really troubled me,” I replied.
“R-Really?” she asked.
“Yeah,” I confirmed.
“Hey,” Evie said.
“What?” I asked.
“I’m glad you talked to me. It made me feel a little better,” she said.
“I see,” I replied.
Evie briefly touched my hand, then quickly pulled away and stood up.
“I’ll go back to keeping watch. You should get some sleep, Yuuta,” she said.
As Evie walked towards Lean and Rai, I stood up too. Before going to sleep, I looked at my face in a mirror. It was surprisingly beautiful. I wondered what I was doing with such a beautiful face.
Thinking about my conversation with Evie, I felt a bit hesitant and slept a little distance away from Misuzu that night.
Several days passed.
Unable to properly reconcile with Evie, we were planning to face the Goblin Army head-on for the first time tomorrow, after avoiding them until now. If we could confront and defeat the Goblin Army, the next step would be to annihilate the goblin village in that area.
Wiping out the goblins in the village is the key to the Goblin Emperor’s appearance.
In other words, tomorrow would be the decisive battle with the Goblin Emperor.
Everyone’s level was 14. The rumor that clearing at a low level was the way to get an S rank for the third floor quest seemed credible, just as Yonezaki had said. Level 15 would get an A, and at level 16, you’d only receive the quest reward. I had confirmed this with Nagumo-san before.
As I thought about my conversation with Nagumo-san and the upcoming battle, I wondered if I should tell my companions about Yonezaki. But when I realized why Yonezaki had stayed on this third floor for so long, I thought we might be in a pretty tight spot.
If Yonezaki’s goal was what I thought it was, he wouldn’t let us go no matter what methods he used. Misuzu and Evie were both far above average in beauty, and I had impossibly good equipment for the third floor.
If I were Yonezaki, I’d use any method to ensnare such easy prey. It was like the situation we often experienced in the dungeon where there was no escape route. When I realized this possibility, I thought it was better to embrace the poison than try to escape from an inescapable opponent.
I thought if we could have that intelligence on our side. Currently, he wouldn’t help with floor clearing. He wouldn’t properly become a companion until we reached the 20th floor. Still, Yonezaki shouldn’t do anything to us until we reach the 20th floor.
He also understood.
When we reached the same level, would it become a fight to the death, or would we become true companions? That was still undecided. For now, we wouldn’t say anything unnecessary to Yonezaki because we couldn’t win. That was the extent of our trust relationship.
Yonezaki was probably laughing knowing all this. He was really hard to deal with. I still couldn’t imagine what our relationship with him would be like when we reached the 20th floor.
“Hey, Yuuta, I was trying to keep quiet, but what’s going on with you and Evie?” Misuzu asked. It seemed she had become concerned despite her intention to silently observe.
I still wasn’t talking much with Evie.
“Nothing’s going on,” I replied.
“Well, if you say so,” Misuzu said, looking at me. It was still scorching hot, but it was 2 AM. Evie was sleeping now, and Misuzu and I were keeping watch.
“It seems like there’s a weird atmosphere though. Did I say something unnecessary?” she asked.
“It’s not about you, Misuzu. Well, it is, but it’s not your fault,” I said.
“…I thought I should try to forgive Evie a bit, but was that unnecessary meddling?” Misuzu asked.
“That’s… I don’t know,” I replied.
“Sigh… watching you two is suffocating every day,” she said.
“…I’m sorry,” I apologized.
“I’m fine, but Evie… no, maybe Evie would hate it more if I interfered in this matter,” Misuzu mused.
It seemed Misuzu was seriously worrying about the relationships within our party in her own way.
“Yuuta, Evie was in a Japanese commercial, right?” she asked.
“When?” I asked.
“Remember that girl? That incredibly cute foreign girl in the candy commercial. The one that made the candy look so delicious,” Misuzu explained.
As she said this, one memory stood out. A very famous old commercial. In my sepia-toned memories, I remembered thinking as a child that all foreign girls must be this cute.
“That was Evie?” I asked.
“Yes, it was,” Misuzu confirmed.
“When I saw that commercial, I thought all white people were cute girls,” I admitted.
“Anyone would think that. With that face,” Misuzu said.
“But it wasn’t all of them. There are ugly white people, fat ones too, and I realized that the girl in that commercial was special,” I said.
“Always beautiful, always a top model. My sister said, ‘If your boyfriend is liked by that girl and is three-timing, he’ll literally be killed by fans,’” Misuzu shared.
“Haha,” I laughed nervously.
What was I doing with a girl like that?
“Evie is amazing, isn’t she? Even if you’re cute as a child, it’s common to lose that when you grow up. But she’s tall, has a pretty big chest, and on top of that, her face is super beautiful,” Misuzu said.
“Misuzu. That girl is right in front of us. For example, if she came out of the TV and said she ‘liked’ me, does that feel real?” I asked.
“No. It still feels strange that Evie is our party member,” Misuzu admitted.
“When we kiss, I always think, is it really okay with someone like me? Ah, no, sorry,” I said.
“It’s fine. I know that much,” Misuzu replied.
“…”
“Yuuta. Actually, Evie is right in front of you, isn’t she? I think you should see that. Wait, why am I saying this for Evie’s sake?” Misuzu wondered.
Misuzu was acting a bit strange too. She used to think she’d never give her boyfriend to anyone, but lately, it seemed like she was cheering for Evie.
“Are you going to fully forgive everything regarding Evie?” I asked.
“Well, with Evie, it’s like we’re companions who share life and death, you know? It’s impossible to exclude just one person at this point, right?” Misuzu explained.
“Ah, yeah,” I agreed.
Even hearing that, I didn’t know how to respond.
“Yuuta,” Misuzu said.
“What?” I asked.
“To be honest, my feelings about Evie are really complicated. Because she’s beautiful. I feel like if I forgive one thing, she might take everything. But I don’t want Evie to leave the party. I’d hate it if Evie went back to America because I kept disliking her,” Misuzu admitted.
“That’s…” I started.
“Yuuta. You say various things, but in the end, you really like Evie. You’re just confused because many beautiful girls are saying they like you,” Misuzu said.
“You think so?” I asked.
“You haven’t properly said you like me either,” Misuzu pointed out.
Come to think of it, I hadn’t been able to say I liked Misuzu either. I had only managed to say it to Imari. I thought about saying it now.
“I like you, Misuzu-” I began.
“Don’t say it like an afterthought. Tell me when your feelings are properly settled,” Misuzu interrupted.
“Ah, okay,” I said.
“Just apologize to Evie for the kiss. I don’t know anything beyond that,” Misuzu advised.
Being told such things by Misuzu, I must have been acting really stupidly. When I still didn’t move, she gave me a light slap on the bottom.
“I’m pretty confident lately that this guy really likes me. So it’s okay,” Misuzu said.
“I-I see,” I replied.
I felt it wasn’t good to fight the Goblin Emperor like this. According to online discussions, the death rate for challenging the Goblin Emperor at level 14 was 100%. They said it was impossible. Probably. This was the most common opinion among low-level people who were stuck.
High-levelers weren’t sharing such detailed information outside. The reason became clear after talking to Nagumo-san. What high-level people said was so different from common sense in the dungeon world that almost no one would believe them.
In the world of studying and sports too, there were always people who could easily do things I found difficult. What seemed 100% fatal to low-level people might not be 100% for those who could reach high levels.
Tomorrow, it would become clear which side of the explorer spectrum I was on.
To be honest, I was scared and wanted to run away.
The thought of fully testing my own value was suffocating.
What would happen if I ran away here?
No, maybe dying would be better than that.
Yet here I was, worrying about romance. Misuzu uttered “Exploration.” Just by doing that, her ability to keep watch increased dramatically. Even though Lean and Rai were sleeping, Misuzu alone was now sufficient for keeping watch.
“Please go quickly,” Misuzu said.
“Uh, yeah. Misuzu, I’d like you not to listen to my conversation with Evie,” I said.
“…”
Misuzu didn’t answer. I decided not to press further, feeling like I might naturally step on a landmine if I did.
I questioned my heart and thought that, as Misuzu said, I probably did like Evie.
Evie was sleeping nearby, while Misuzu was a bit further away, facing the other direction. But since she had used “Exploration,” she could probably hear our entire conversation.
“Evie, Evie,” I called.
“Mm, yes? What is it, Yuuta?” Evie woke up with a sleepy face. She looked cute like that.
“Um, I’m sorry for various things,” I said.
“…Yuuta. Wait a moment. My head isn’t awake yet,” Evie said.
I waited a bit as Evie requested. Evie, who had always lived walking runways, being the center of attention and admiration. And I had been continuously ambiguous towards such an Evie. Not making it clear whether I liked her or not.
“Okay. What is it?” Evie asked.
“I thought I should apologize,” I said.
“For what?” she asked.
“Various things,” I replied.
“Various things?” she repeated.
“…”
I fell silent, not knowing how to continue.
“Yuuta. Before, I wouldn’t have minded forcefully attacking you in situations like this. But now, I don’t want to be disliked for doing such things,” Evie said.
“I-I see,” I replied.
“Yes, Misuzu is… *yawn* she’s awake, isn’t she?” Evie said.
Evie yawned and looked for Misuzu, spotting her more than 10 meters away, standing watch in the savanna. I looked at Misuzu too. I saw her twitch slightly. She seemed unable to help being curious about us.
“Payback for always being shown off to,” Evie said, snuggling up to me. In the end, she still cuddled. But this was the first time Evie and I had been close since leaving the second floor. I felt Evie’s body heat and soft touch for the first time in a while. Just that was enough to make me flustered.
“Hey, is Misuzu okay with this?” Evie asked.
“It’s fine. I properly told her,” I said.
I felt like I had been the one properly told, but I didn’t say that. Misuzu was aware of what we were doing. It made my heart race in a different way.
“I’m… sorry for being stubborn,” Evie said.
“I’m the one who should be sorry,” I replied.
Evie’s face was so beautiful that surely no one would say it wasn’t. So, as if drawn in, I first said “Sorry” to her pink lips and then kissed them.
Evie happily embraced my body. Our bodies were so close there was no gap between us. I could almost hear our heartbeats. I had wanted to be like this for so long.
“Yuuta. You’re filling up my body,” Evie said.
“You’re filling me up too, Evie,” I replied.
Misuzu had completely disappeared from my mind.
“I truly love you. Even if you take everything from me, I won’t regret it. Do you love me, Yuuta?” Evie asked.
“Yes, I love you,” I said.
“R-Really?” she asked.
“R-Really,” I confirmed.
I still hadn’t said those words to Misuzu.
Right after I said it, I caught sight of Misuzu’s back. I saw her clench her fist. This was bad. My heart was racing. Somehow, being able to be close to Evie after so long had gotten me too excited.
“I’m so happy,” Evie said.
Evie kissed me again, hungrily demanding more. I kept glancing towards Misuzu. I was worried about her. Just when I was trying to reconcile with Evie, had I now made Misuzu angry?
“Um, Yuuta,” Evie said.
However, Evie seemed excited too, looking at me with a dreamy expression.
“What is it?” I asked.
“With you, it’s always just kissing, right? But you’ve gone further with Misuzu, haven’t you?” Evie asked.
“Ah, yeah, that’s right,” I admitted.
“I want to go a little further too. My beautiful body. A body I’ve never let any man touch. You can do whatever you want… okay?” Evie said.
“That’s…” I hesitated.
This was bad. If we continued like this, I’d definitely step on Misuzu’s landmine. Think. Think. I was more desperate than when talking to Yonezaki. Ah, couldn’t I come up with a good idea?
“E-Evie, I like Misuzu. I love her. Is that still okay!?” I blurted out.
“Yes, it’s fine. I’m after Misuzu. I understand,” Evie said.
But Evie wasn’t flustered. Rather, she lay down on the ground and pulled me closer. In the space with just a sheet and a tent for sleeping. I turned to the side as if seeking help and met Lean’s eyes, who was supposed to be asleep.
Lean’s eyes were wide open. She seemed to be quite expectantly waiting for what would happen next. I felt like a parent who had shown something inappropriate for a child’s education.
“Lean. Rai. It’s too early for 0-year-olds. Close your eyes,” Evie said.
So Rai was awake too. The summoned beasts apparently had to absolutely obey Evie’s commands, so they closed their eyes with dissatisfied puffed cheeks. Evie chuckled.
Our clothes were disheveled, and it was quite erotic. For a moment, I glanced at Misuzu. She didn’t seem likely to say anything.
“You’re too distracted. Look at me,” Evie said, grabbing my face and turning it back to her.
“Sorry,” I apologized.
“No, it’s okay. I’m so happy right now that I can forgive anything. But, say ‘I love you’ one more time,” Evie requested.
“Ah, I love you,” I said.
At this point, saying it any number of times would be the same. I decided to properly tell Misuzu later too.
“I love you too. So, pretend you’re chasing after me, and do all the things we couldn’t do when I went to America,” Evie said.
“Won’t that mean we can’t sleep? Is that okay?” I asked.
“Of course,” Evie replied.
We had come this far. There was no turning back now. Or rather, I didn’t want to turn back. However, there was one more thing I had forgotten to tell Evie.
“I forgot to tell you something, Evie,” I said.
“What is it?” Evie asked in a very seductive voice.
“I got an Elixir,” I said.
“Huh?” Evie responded, surprised.
“I can’t tell you how I got it, but I did. However, I’d like you to not use it on your friends. As things stand, we absolutely can’t get any more Elixirs. I want to keep this Elixir in case something happens to our party members,” I explained.
“…You seem born to surprise me. And, I don’t think that’s something you should say right now,” Evie said.
“Sorry. Should we stop for today?” I asked.
I thought we had managed to reconcile at least. It would be a huge waste, but if she said to stop, that would be a relief in its own way.
“No way. If we stop now, who knows when we’ll get another chance. I understand about the Elixir. It’s not something I obtained myself. If you say you want to keep it for us, that’s natural. And Yuuta,” Evie said.
“Yes?” I responded.
“I love you so much,” Evie said.
I felt like Misuzu was angry, and it was terrifying. But… I had crossed a line with Evie.
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