“Daishi-san!”
“Old man!”
“Kwaaah!”
The moment I emerged from the space-time vortex onto the first floor of the Nether-Class Dungeon, Mina-chan, Shion, and Ryunosuke spotted me and rushed over.
I was so exhausted I could barely stay on my feet.
But seeing the relief on their faces, hearing their cheerful voices…
It felt like I regained just a little of my strength.
“I’m back, everyone!”
A smile came to my face before I even realized it.
Incidentally, the Nether King had kindly removed the lingering stench of Hell Gate as a parting favor. So there was no need to worry about a repeat of the incident where poor Satsuki-chan had passed out from the residual smell alone.
“…Looks like it’s over huh.”
“Yeah! I sent the Hero flying!”
Shion’s simple remark summed everything up.
I said I sent him flying. But to be perfectly accurate, the Nether King had simply sucked the Hero into his own gate.
Well… there wasn’t much point in explaining the finer details now. Besides, I didn’t possess the vocabulary—or the brainpower—to properly explain whatever that had been.
| > Welcome back, old man! > Things have finally settled down! > Everyone looks so happy! > Hm? Where’s Satsuki? > Is she still asleep? > No, look over there. > Isn’t that her hiding in the corner? > What’s she doing over there? > Is she embarrassed? > Come on, celebrate the reunion already! > Go escort her over, old man! |
Using the flood of comments as my guide, I searched for Satsuki.
They said she was hiding in a corner…
Ah!
There she is!
“Hey—! Satsuki-chan!!”
Sure enough, tucked away in a narrow space by the wall—just barely large enough to hide a single person—was a familiar figure. Peeking out with only half her face visible, but there was no mistaking that adorable face. It’s Amane Satsuki, the girl I’d conquered the Beginner Dungeon with.
“Satsuki!”
“What are you hiding for?!”
Mina called out.
“Get over here already.”
Shion added.
“Shyaaaah!”
Even Ryunosuke chimed in.
But instead of encouraging her, the combined pressure from the two of them—and one dragon—only made Satsuki shrink back.
She quickly hid her face again.
…Was Satsuki always this shy?
I’d always thought of her as the bold, headstrong type. Turns out, she had an unexpectedly cute side.
Alright. Time for the responsible adult to step in. I’d welcome her back like a gentleman.
“…Ah.”
“I’m back—and welcome back, Satsuki-chan! I’m so glad we both made it back safely!”
Even though I was tired, my super speed was undiminished.
Like teleportation itself, I crossed the distance between us in an instant. I gently took her hand, ready to share the joy of our reunion together.
“D-Daishi-san…”
“The Hero’s already been defeated!”
“So you don’t have to worry anymore!”
“B-but…”
After everything that had happened, maybe it was only natural that Satsuki-chan had lost some of her usual confidence. She stood there fidgeting, wearing an expression full of anxiety.
I couldn’t really blame her.
Still…
Alright.
Time to act like a man.
“Yo!”
“Hyaaah! W-wait, Daishi-san…!”
Seeing how awkward and out of place she seemed, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I swept Satsuki up in a princess carry and marched her back toward everyone else.
“Don’t worry! I’m not touching your butt!”
Years of being a corporate wage slave had taught me one lesson the hard way—absolutely no sexual harassment. So I am being very careful about where my hands were. That shouldn’t be a problem.
| > Nice one, old man! > Welcome back, Satsuki! > She’s gotten so timid. > Satsuki-taaaan! > So glad you’re safe!! > Hey! Why are you carrying her like a princess?! > Put her down! > I’m suing you! > Sexual harassment! Sexual harassment! Sexual harassment! > Hey! You totally grabbed her butt just nowww!! |
“I didn’t touch anything! Shut up!”
“Uu…”
“Huh? What’s wrong, Satsuki…?”
“Uwaaaaaahhh!!”
“E-eeeeh?!”
H-Hold on! I really didn’t touch her butt!
Why is she crying?!
Oh no… this is going to get me canceled again!!
“I… I was so scared the whole time…”
“…Ah?”
“Why didn’t you take me with you…?!”
“Uh… well… I’m… sorry…”
“Daishi-san, you big meanie!!”
Still cradled in my arms, Satsuki-chan began pounding lightly against my chest as tears streamed down her face. Watching all the fear and tension she’d been holding back finally burst free at once, I couldn’t help feeling a deep pang of guilt.
“I’m sorry. I won’t leave you behind again.”
“(Sniffle)… Really?”
“Yeah. So… will you keep exploring the dungeons with me?”
“Yes!!”
A smile finally returned to Satsuki’s face, even though it was still a complete mess of tears and a runny nose.
Good. If she’s feeling even a little better now… that’s enough for me.
….Um…
Satsuki? Could you please stop wiping your nose on my robe?
“There we go!”
“Ah! Stay like this a little longer!”
“Please… have mercy. I’m pretty exhausted too…”
The moment I set her down after bringing her back to everyone, she immediately complained.
It was a relief to see she’d returned to her usual self. Though she’s already becoming just a little high-maintenance again.
“Satsuki! Don’t push your luck!”
Mina-chan stepped in to scold her.
Thank goodness.
“Mina…”
“W-what?”
“I never got to thank you, did I?”
“You’re the one who rescued me… aren’t you?”
“Huh?! Y-yeah! That’s right! It was really hard, you know!”
I knew it.
So Mina really had been the one to save Satsuki.
Still… How had she managed to rescue her from a situation that hopeless?
I wasn’t there, so I didn’t see the actual rescue. I want to get some rest now, so I won’t ask for now, but maybe I’ll ask tomorrow.
“Thank you, Mina!”
“Ah, y-yeah. But Shion and Ryunosuke helped too. I couldn’t have done it alone!”
“…Can what happened really be called ‘rescuing’ her? (Ngh—)”
“Ahaha! Shion, that’s enough!”
“Shyaaaaang!!”
For some reason, Mina-chan hurriedly clamped a hand over Shion’s mouth while laughing nervously. As if in agreement, Ryunosuke let out a strange cry.
…Somehow, I got the feeling I was better off not learning exactly what had happened during Satsuki’s rescue.
“Anyway… thank you, everyone!”
“Y-you’re welcome! B-by the way, Daishi-san, what are we going to do now?”
Mina asked, quickly changing the subject.
She forcefully steered the conversation in a different direction. Well… the details of Satsuki’s rescue could wait. Planning our next move was far more important.
“Well…”
I briefly explained everything that had happened and laid out the Nether King’s proposal before asking everyone what they thought.
◆◆◆
“Going back to the surface is fine, but…”
Mina-chan murmured with a troubled expression.
Returning to the surface. Everyone wanted to do so. The problem is that it is an incredibly dangerous choice.
“If we go back normally, they’re going to arrest us.”
Shion said bluntly.
“Yeah…”
She had put exactly what everyone was thinking into words.
| > Come stay at my place, old man! > We’ll drink all night and swap stories! > I already sent you a DM! > I’ll hide Satsuki! > Shion! Check your DMs!! > What does Ryunosuke even eat? > Mina, you free tonight? > (Heavy breathing emoji) > There’s no way they can escape Guild Headquarters. > The entrance to the Nether-Class Dungeon is packed right now. > Looks like Guild Headquarters has people stationed everywhere. > If they unleash their abilities on the surface, they’ll get the death penalty. > Nobody could actually capture the old man, though. > Don’t be so sure. It’s a big world. > Dungeon Law is international law. > The really dangerous people from the U.N. will show up. > Worst case, an entire country could get erased. > Seriously…? That’s terrifying. |
Wait….
Doesn’t that mean, we can’t go back to the surface?
What are we supposed to do now…?
| > Pardon the interruption. |
“…Hm?”
| > Huh…? > W-what…? > The video’s… |
The torrent of comments suddenly stopped.
Only a single message remained.
| > First of all, allow me to congratulate you on defeating the Hero, Ajiri Daishi. |
…Huh?
The chat had frozen. Except for that one person.
Who… is this?
| > Ah, right. I haven’t introduced myself yet. > My name is Kagami Yuda, Representative of the Far East Branch of the International Dungeon Guild Association. > I look forward to making your acquaintance. |
The one who had hijacked the chat of over twenty million viewers was none other than the man at the very top of Guild Headquarters.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
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