Akatsuki Translations

I walked down the school hallway. Even though it hadn’t even been two months since I last attended school, it felt like a considerable amount of time had passed. It was probably around the time first period started. I could hear a slight commotion and the teacher’s voice coming from inside the classroom.

Even though Nagumo-san had dropped me off, I was quite late. I didn’t want to stand out too much, but it couldn’t be helped. I saw the nameplate of my classroom. Standing in front of my classroom, I thought about how I didn’t want to see Ikemoto again.

Feeling odd about knocking on the classroom door, I just opened it as is. Everyone’s gaze turned towards the figure of a student trying to enter at such a time.

“Teacher, I’m late. Sorry,” I apologized.

“Huh? Um, who are you?” The female teacher standing at the front asked, bewildered. I noticed her cheeks turning red as she looked at my face. I realized I had become quite handsome. It felt kind of strange.

“Tsurumi-sensei, it’s Yuuta Rokujou. My appearance changed a bit after leveling up in the dungeon. Please continue the lesson,” I explained.

“Eh? Ah? O-okay. You’ve changed a bit…” Tsurumi-sensei was taken aback. She was a teacher in her 30s and married. Even so, she was still in her prime as a woman and was a popular teacher among the students. Since it was a lesson during this period, she should have let her guard down. That unguarded face of hers looked even more unguarded than usual.

Even I was surprised by my own appearance. From their perspective, it was like, “Who is this guy?” I had changed too much, so I displayed my status to make it visible to the teacher. I could change which parts of my status I showed to others. I could add my age and address, and yet there was currently no way to falsify one’s status, or so it was said. That’s why I thought it would be enough to just show my name, address, and age.

“Are you really Rokujou-kun? Y-you’ve changed quite a bit,” Tsurumi-sensei stammered.

“Yeah, well,” I responded.

“You must be favored by the dungeon. I gave up right away because I wasn’t, but I’m envious,” she said. Among adults, there were those who opposed the dungeon and those who ended up entering it themselves. Tsurumi-sensei was one of the latter, having reached level 10. She had explored up to the 3rd floor, which I wasn’t familiar with, and her stories about it during class were another reason for her popularity.

“Haha,” I laughed.

“Ah, oh, I’m sorry. It’s fine. Take your seat. But I’ve heard the stories, you know. Toba-sensei was angrily saying, ‘There’s an unbelievable good-for-nothing in our class.’ If you’re doing that well, your exploration must be going smoothly too, right?” Tsurumi-sensei inquired.

“Well, I suppose so,” I replied.

“You don’t even need to come to school anymore. Honestly, once you know about the dungeon, doesn’t everyday life seem ridiculous?” Tsurumi-sensei made an outrageous statement in the middle of the entrance exam season.

“Is it okay for you to say something like that?” I asked.

“It’s fine. I plan on quitting after this school year anyway. I gave up 4 years ago, but now that going to a D-Rank is possible, I intend to re-enter,” she revealed.

“Eh? Ehhh?!” The class erupted in surprise.

“Sensei, you’re quitting?” a student asked.

“Yes, my husband opposed it, so I gave up, but I just can’t give up after all. When I told my husband, ‘If you oppose it, I’ll divorce you,’ he said, ‘Then I’ll quit being a salaryman too and enter D-Rank with you,’” Tsurumi-sensei shared, sending shockwaves through the class with her unexpected revelation. Tsurumi-sensei was very beautiful, partly because she was level 10. Thanks to that, her reputation at school was excellent, and many students had a crush on her. That said, everyone was already in their 3rd year of middle school and about to graduate.

“Hey, Rokujounokimi!” As I approached my seat, I was called out from the seat two to the right. I knew who it was without looking. But when I turned my gaze in that direction, I saw Ikemoto, whose appearance had also changed to some extent.

“You have something to apologize to me for, don’t you?” Ikemoto glared at me with a demonic expression. It was clearly different from the face he had when he punched me and smirked.

“Huh? Me to you? Isn’t it the other way around?” I retorted normally. Just being able to do that made me think I had changed quite a bit.

“It’s the middle of class. Ikemoto-kun, save it for later,” Tsurumi-sensei interjected.

“Shut up, teacher. I’m level 15. If you keep nagging, I’ll rape you,” Ikemoto threatened.

“Wh-what are you saying?!” Tsurumi-sensei exclaimed. Teachers who had leveled up in the dungeon weren’t just beautiful. They were insanely strong. Especially the first generation of level 10s. This generation, who had leveled up while struggling immensely when no one knew anything about the dungeon, couldn’t be underestimated even at level 10.

“I’ll get angry, you know?” Tsurumi-sensei warned.

“Go ahead,” Ikemoto taunted.

“Then I won’t hold back,” Tsurumi-sensei declared.

Thud!

The classroom shook for a moment. At the front of the classroom, Tsurumi-sensei was restrained by Onoda and Gotou, who were clearly touching her chest. It was a way of treating a teacher that showed no respect for her position. They were even boldly groping her butt.

So these two were also level 15, huh?

“S-stop it! Do you understand what you’re doing?!” Tsurumi-sensei protested.

“Hehehe, we understand. We’re touching sensei’s body~” Onoda snickered.

“I’ve been interested in sensei’s body for a while now~” Gotou added.

“H-hey, you two, stop it. Just because your level increased, if you get too carried away, it’ll be a big problem,” Sakaki-san interjected. She had also become beautiful. It seemed Sakaki-san had also entered the dungeon. There were four level 15s.

“Ikemoto. What’s this about me apologizing to you? Isn’t it the other way around?” I asked Ikemoto first. I felt bad for Tsurumi-sensei, but I couldn’t start a fight with Ikemoto and the others here.

“Don’t play dumb! You abandoned me in the dungeon, didn’t you?!” Ikemoto accused.

“You entered on your own. There’s no abandoning or anything,” I retorted.

“Don’t screw with me! You should’ve come into the dungeon after me! Thanks to that, I almost died for real!” Ikemoto shouted.

“That’s a bit strange. Why are you alive?” I questioned.

“Hehe, you thought I died back there, didn’t you? Too bad. I leveled up even more and I’m here now. Together with the mid-level explorers like Kyouka,” Ikemoto gloated.

“Kyouka…” They were probably those women. So they were better people than I thought. It’s said that such people appear because the dungeon favors them. And now he’s level 15. I still couldn’t understand what those women were thinking.

Could it be that someone else was still intervening? Since I knew Nagumo-san, it wasn’t impossible that someone of an even higher level was involved. But it didn’t feel like that. Strangely, my intuition had been spot-on lately.

Some other reason…

If there was something that came to mind, there was only one thing I could think of.

But if that was the case…

“It’s hard to kill him…” I muttered.

Even so, my other classmates hadn’t made a fuss at all since earlier. Everyone was keeping quiet as if to say “let sleeping gods lie.” A considerable number of students weren’t attending school either.

“Ikemoto. Level 15 is plenty amazing. It’s impressive that you managed to raise your level that much in such a short time,” I acknowledged.

“Of course! Even Kyouka and the others said I could become a high-level explorer! I’m on a different level than you! No matter how far you go, you’re just fit to be my errand boy! You understand that now, don’t you?!” Ikemoto boasted.

“Yeah, more than enough. By the way, it seems you want to kill me,” I mentioned.

“Who did you hear that from?” Ikemoto asked.

“Misuzu,” I replied.

“Tch, you’ll only be able to call her that for now,” Ikemoto threatened.

“Ikemoto. If you want to kill me that badly, why don’t we go to the dungeon? I’d like to settle things there if possible. I came today for that reason. If it’s there, you can kill me without any crime,” I proposed.

“What level are you?” Ikemoto inquired.

“7,” I said, showing my status with only my name and level. He was still the same man as ever. Cunning and cowardly. I could understand that well now. Even though he thought he could win, he still made sure to check my level properly.

“Pfft! Hahaha! This guy’s the best! Do you think I’m lying or something?! I’ll show you my status too!” Ikemoto laughed. I would’ve been happy if he showed me everything, but he only showed his name and level. It indeed said level 15.

“How’s that? Are you about to piss your pants?” Ikemoto taunted.

“I’m fine. More importantly, if you’re level 15, you shouldn’t be afraid of me at all. Let’s end our grudge in the dungeon,” I said calmly.

“Huh? Oh, sure. It seems the idiot has leveled up in the dungeon and is getting carried away. I’ll teach you your reality. In the end, you can’t do anything. Ah, that’s right. When I kill you, I’ll take Misuzu too. Of course, you can say ‘Thank you very much,’ right?” Ikemoto mocked.

“If I lose to you, that is,” I countered.

“Haha, you think you can win? I’ll tell you this, there’s no guarantee you won’t play dirty. The location is the Sensoji Temple dungeon. I’m going to the dungeon just because you said so, so that’s fine, right?” Ikemoto confirmed.

“I don’t mind,” I agreed.

Was I getting desperate? Well, either way, Ikemoto was going to die. Whether he won against me or lost, he would die. Thinking about it, he was a pitiable opponent. No matter how much he struggled to beat me, he couldn’t escape his fate of certain death.

Magma-like anger was boiling inside my body. I didn’t care if I died. I wanted to kill this guy. Ah, that’s right. I had wanted to kill him over and over again. I had thought that when my level increased in the dungeon, the first thing I’d do was kill him.

He was the one who challenged me to a deathmatch.

He couldn’t complain, right?

“Hehe, getting carried away only goes so far before it becomes comical. Onoda. Gotou. Let’s go,” Ikemoto commanded.

“Y-you guys, boldly threating people in front of a teacher…” Even though she was completely restrained and helpless, Tsurumi-sensei still glared at them with an angry expression.

“Eeh, Rokujou alone is plenty enough for Ikemoto. I want to play with Tsurumi-sensei a bit more,” Onoda whined.

“Are you guys stupid? No matter what, if you brazenly assault a teacher at school, the police will be called. You should do it secretly later,” Ikemoto advised.

“Ooh, as expected, Ikemoto is smart. That’s true,” Gotou agreed.

Not only Onoda but even Gotou was saying such things. Could it be that those women had drugged them with something weird?

“H-hey! This is a serious crime!” Tsurumi-sensei scolded, but Ikemoto and the others weren’t listening at all.

“Koharu. Call Kyouka and the others and tell them I’m bringing someone to Sensoji Temple. You come along too,” Ikemoto ordered.

“Eh? Me too?” Sakaki-san seemed quite reluctant. I wasn’t quite sure where Sakaki-san stood. Still, it seemed she couldn’t go against Ikemoto and was reaching for her smartphone.

The three of them left the classroom. Ikemoto gave me a look that said to come quickly.

“I know. There’s no way I wouldn’t go after inviting you myself. You go ahead. I forgot something in the classroom. That’s also part of why I came here. Or are you willing to wait there wisely until I’m ready?” I said.

“Hmph, fine. That irritating way of talking too. I’ll educate you inside the dungeon. If you can say ‘Ikemoto-sama, please help me’ then, I’ll forgive you with just one leg,” Ikemoto responded in a tone that made it clear he saw me as his enemy. Even so, what was he holding such a grudge for? I could understand me holding a grudge against him, but the opposite was quite incomprehensible.

“Koharu. You bring him along so he doesn’t run away,” Ikemoto ordered.

“O-okay. Got it,” Sakaki-san replied.

I watched Ikemoto’s retreating figure as he left the classroom.

“Sakaki-san, I’m sorry,” I apologized, looking at her. She had changed quite a bit in appearance. Unlike Ikemoto’s subtle changes, hers were quite extreme. She immediately gazed at me with a blushing face and called out to me.

“R-Rokujou. Run away right now. Those guys don’t have any tracking abilities, so if you run, they absolutely can’t follow you. Kyouka-san and the others probably won’t cooperate in chasing you either,” Sakaki-san advised.

Could I consider Sakaki-san an ally? Based on her previous behavior, I thought that couldn’t be the case, but somehow her demeanor had changed considerably.

“Ah, that’s fine. I came here today prepared from the start,” I replied.

“But–” Sakaki-san began.

“More importantly. Why is he so pissed off at me? I don’t quite understand the meaning behind him getting that angry,” I questioned.

“That’s… W-well, I don’t really know either. Maybe his pride was hurt because someone who used to obey him defied him?” Sakaki-san guessed.

“Is he an idiot to get that angry over that?” I raised a question mark in my head, but I was concerned about Tsurumi-sensei and approached her.

“Tsurumi-sensei. I’m sorry for getting you involved in this weird situation,” I apologized.

“It’s fine. Those three have been a big problem in the faculty room lately. The principal has been asking me to deal with them, and I had to do something about it. More importantly, Rokujou-kun,” Tsurumi-sensei said.

“Yes?” I responded.

“I’m really pissed off for the first time in a while. You’re going to beat the crap out of them in the dungeon now, right? I’ll join you. I think I can probably handle one of them at least,” Tsurumi-sensei declared.

“Their levels are higher though,” I pointed out.

“It’s okay. If I call some old acquaintances, I can gather a few more people,” Tsurumi-sensei assured.

I see. If they call for help, we’ll call for help too. And depending on the circumstances, it could turn into a war. There were people like Nagumo-san who could wage war on an individual level, and there were also those who gathered numbers to pseudo-wage war.

Either way, a fight between explorers doesn’t end as a mere fight. How well did Ikemoto understand that? He couldn’t possibly think it would end with him beating me up a bit as an extension of bullying, right?

“I won’t forgive them. I’ll teach them that the only one allowed to touch my body is my husband!” Tsurumi-sensei’s face turned demonic. Ikemoto and the others were real idiots. If they acted high and mighty with just level 15 in the world of explorers, one wrong step and they’d easily get killed. They had no understanding of that. Did they never have a frightening experience until reaching level 15?

“Sensei. Please wait a bit for that. After I’m done, you can kill them as much as you want,” I requested.

“…You plan to do it alone?” Tsurumi-sensei asked.

“That’s my intention. Until now, I’ve been constantly mocked by him,” I explained.

“Did he do something to you?”

“It’s a common thing. A timid person gets targeted by a stronger-willed person. It was really frustrating. So frustrating that I forgot I was feeling frustrated. That’s why I want to punch his face with all my might, even if it’s just once, without borrowing anyone’s power,” I confessed.

I would probably kill Ikemoto in the dungeon after this. I couldn’t stop myself from doing that. I had no intention of stopping either. I would finish him off for sure in the dungeon. So that I wouldn’t have to see that irritating face ever again.

“Do you have a chance of winning?” Tsurumi-sensei inquired.

“Probably not. But I intend to at least land one punch,” I replied.

“Hehe, you’re an idiot,” Tsurumi-sensei chuckled.

“I really am. Even though there seem to be lots of fun things ahead, I don’t think there’s any need to risk dying in a place like this,” I admitted.

“But sensei likes that sort of thing. I see. What a shame. And you had just become a good man,” Tsurumi-sensei lamented.

“Well then, I’ll be going,” I said.

“Didn’t you forget something?” Tsurumi-sensei asked.

“I was just worried that sensei might be feeling down,” I replied with a smile and left the classroom.

“If I had met you before my husband, it would’ve been trouble,” I thought I heard Tsurumi-sensei mutter, but I dismissed it as my imagination. After that, Sakaki-san came chasing after me.