kscans

Chapter 155 - Hauling Aira Along

"Ugh... My tummy hurts, can I go home now?"

"Absolutely not. I saw you drinking a cola just fine a minute ago, didn't I?"

The day after learning our lesson in the Dungeon of Utuq. Sunday.

Today was another scorcher, with temperatures threatening to break 40 degrees Celsius, yet here we were, at an E-Rank dungeon.

The reason being.

"Aira-san, congratulations on getting your adventurer license!"

"Yay, not happy at all."

The feeble, hopeless university student had finally joined the ranks of adventurers.

What's more, thanks to her level, she was starting at E-Rank. Starting from F would have been a pain, but at this rate, she might be able to get to D-Rank quickly.

Well, the person in question had the eyes of a dead fish.

"I'm a desk-work specialist... The idea that a researcher must conduct fieldwork is an old way of thinking. In the modern age, we have various professions and tools. Let the experts handle what they're good at. We should commission those accustomed to rough situations to investigate dangerous areas and use specialized filming equipment to—"

"Yeah, this isn't about fieldwork, it's about self-defense."

"Senpai! Let's become fine ninjas together, senpai!"

'Grandmother was worried that you might get into danger again, sister.'

"Gah, are there no allies for me?!"

"In a way, we're your allies, so you might as well give up."

Since standing around moping in the store wouldn't solve anything, I had Erina-san haul Aira-san off to the changing room.

Mia-san was on standby at home this time, participating via her earring.

I quickly got ready myself, made a trip to the restroom, and then waited for the two of them.

While I waited, I glanced around the store.

The number of adventurers had exploded a while back, but this particular dungeon wasn't very popular. That's why we chose it, but with so few people here, I was worried about the monster population not being thinned out.

The Self-Defense Force is here, so it won't overflow, but it's probably teeming with monsters inside.

In a way, that's convenient, but we need to be careful. Aira-san is currently Level 20. She's overleveled for this rank, but her stats are mediocre.

I can't let her die by accident, no matter how unlikely.

Our goal today isn't leveling, but getting her accustomed to dungeons.

If we can just get her mental state sorted out, all that's left is to get her some decent gear and promote her to D-Rank. The level grinding can start from there.

As I was thinking about that, the girls emerged from the changing room, apparently finished with their preparations.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Kyou-chan! Long time?"

"No, not really."

"Hey, hey, that's no good, Kyou-chan-kun. In this situation, you have to lie and say, 'I just got here.'"

"What is this, a date scene from the Showa era?"

Both of them were in simple tracksuits, but as they say, a beautiful person looks good in anything. Their presence alone seemed to make this corner of the room feel more vibrant.

Though, to be fair, Aira-san is always in a tracksuit. Where did the mysterious and mystical aura I felt when I first met her go...?

"What is it, Kyou-chan-kun? Are you captivated by my beauty?"

"Sigh..."

"Eh, did you just sigh at me? At me, the most beautiful woman of this century? I see, you mean my beauty is so breathtaking it makes you sigh!"

"That's our senpai! A positive attitude is important for an adventurer!"

"Erina-kun? Are you implying that my sigh had a negative meaning, Erina-kun?"

I decided to put the hopeless university student's hopelessness aside for a moment and switch gears.

"We're about to head into the dungeon. You're not forgetting anything, are you?"

"Nope."

'I will be your navigator! Sister, please don't deactivate your telepathy skill under any circumstances!'

"Right."

'Ugh... I really wanted to go with you all...'

"Sorry, Mia. This dungeon is for three people."

Aira-san puffed out her chest with a smug look, spouting a line that sounded like it came from a certain blue robotic cat.

Dungeon gates can be entered by three to four people at a time. It varies by dungeon, but this one's limit is three. If four or more try to enter, one person gets sent to a different area inside.

Why it's designed this way is a mystery, especially since there are no such restrictions when leaving.

"Alright, then I'll assume you're ready."

"Kyou-chan-kun."

"Yes?"

"That being said, I still don't want to go. It's a pain."

"Haul her away."

"Give it up, senpai!"

"Nooo—"

Erina-san grabbed Aira-san from behind, hooking her arms under her armpits and dragging her away.

I gave a slight bow to the other people in the store who were giving us strange looks, and we headed to the gate room.

The receptionist warned us, 'We cannot let you pass unless the person herself has a clear intention to explore,' but Aira-san finally resigned herself and took out her own license.

They were still suspicious, so we had to explain the situation. Once we finally got permission, we headed for the gate.

With the white door between us, we each summoned our Arcane Gear. Then, Erina-san took Byakuren and Renge out of her Item Box.

A golem that looked like a girl about 160 centimeters tall, with hair-like golden additional armor.

Renge, who stood at attention with her blue glass eyes glowing faintly, was equipped with a body armor vest this time.

We also had her hold a one-handed sword and shield made by Ooyama-san from a weapon case, and finally, we attached a military flashlight to her vest.

"I explained this beforehand, but I made some modifications, mixing in some Treant drop items into her materials. Her output hasn't increased much, but her durability and fuel efficiency should be better."

"Perfect, Kyou-chan-kun."

"Sure, whatever."

I shrugged at Aira-san, who was sporting a villainous grin.

"Hey now, don't be a party pooper, Kyou-chan-kun. You'll never be popular with the ladies like that."

"Shut it, you hopeless university student."

I let out a small click of my tongue at the hopeless beauty who was now winking at me. Seriously, the fact that she's so needlessly gorgeous makes gestures like that genuinely irritating.

Anyway.

"...Are you sure you didn't want to change Renge's design?"

I'd heard that, out of loneliness from not being able to see Mia-san, she'd had it modeled after her sister's middle-school appearance. Now that the real person was here, wouldn't it just be awkward?

I would have changed the appearance for free, too.

'No, I think it's fine as it is! It's a little embarrassing, but it feels like I'm always with my sister... ehehe.'

Well, the person herself approved.

"Indeed. I've come to think of her as another little sister! Renge is perfect as she is."

'Excuse me? I'm your only sister. Let's destroy that blockhead right now.'

"I'm kidding, Mia! You're my only sister!"

'That's right, sister!'

Aira-san was already drenched in sweat before we even entered the dungeon. I decided to pretend I didn't see. Stay strong.

I cleared my throat and checked my own equipment and Byakuren. After glancing at Erina-san, I turned back to Aira-san.

"Alright, we're going into the dungeon now. At your current level, you shouldn't die from minor things, but please don't let your guard down."

"Yeah. Of course."

"Don't worry, senpai. I'll definitely protect you, senpai."

"Erina-kun... thump thump."

"Well, I'll be covering you too, so you don't have to be too tense."

"Kyou-chan-kun... pfft."

"Hey, why did you just laugh?"

After the hopeless university student tried to play it off with a cute face, I clicked my tongue loudly and switched my focus to the gate in front of us.

"Okay, place your hands on my shoulders. If you let go while we're entering, you'll be sent somewhere else, so don't let go under any circumstances."

"Got it."

I confirmed that both of them had a grip on my shoulders and that the golems were touching their shoulders in turn.

We stepped through the white door.

As always, there was that strange sensation of the ground disappearing without any feeling of floating. Just as a powerful sense of unease washed over me, I felt the hard sensation of stone through my boots.

The air was cool and humid. The dungeon's cavern-like scenery, with its damp-looking rock walls illuminated by SDF lights, spread out before us.

While cautiously scanning the area with my eyes, I lightly tapped the fingers still resting on my shoulder.

"You can let go now. There's no danger of getting separa—"

I was about to say 'separated' when Aira-san leaned against me.

Her chestplate prevented me from feeling her warmth or softness, but I was aware of my heart skipping a beat as her scent wafted over me.

"A-Aira-san?"

"Kyou-chan-kun."

Her voice was somewhat weak. From beneath her drooping bangs, her teary blue eyes looked up at me.

At the sight of her, so fleetingly beautiful, my heart jumped again and—

"I'm gonna puke... urghh."

So this is what it feels like to have a hundred years of love turn cold in an instant.

"...Do you need a barf bag?"

"Don't need it... jus' lemme rest... a sec..."

"Right. Take your time..."

"I'll keep watch over our surroundings!"

'Sister?! Are you okay, sister?! The telepathy is breaking up, I can't hear you well!'

"Be quiet... for a sec..."

It took about a minute for Aira-san to recover. She finally calmed down after a sip of water.

"Yeesh... I didn't feel it much during the minotaur incident, but between the exam and now, isn't there something they can do about that sensation?"

"I don't know if I should ask this, but what happened during your exam...?"

"I threw up. The female SDF officer and the other examinee who entered the dungeon with me had the most indescribable looks on their faces."

Well, of course they would. A perfect, cool beauty on the outside, spectacularly losing her lunch.

If anything, I think the fact that you can state that so brazenly is the weird part. Please, have some maidenly shame.

Her Arcane Gear makes her look like a great detective, but her insides are in a state of great intoxication. What's up with that?

"Hmph. Don't tell me, Kyou-chan-kun, you were just thinking, 'She's not a great detective, she's a great drunk!' weren't you?!"

"You got it right except for the tone, dummy."

"Dummy?!"

"It's just the tone, don't worry about it, dummy."

"I'm gonna worry about it!"

"Shh, both of you."

Seeing Erina-san's gaze sharpen, I switched gears as well.

I handed the one-and-a-half-handed sword I had drawn to Aira-san and turned to look where she was looking.

"Take this. I guarantee its sharpness."

"R-Right. Understood."

"Two of them, coming towards us from the front. They're 'barefoot,' so they're probably monsters."

"Got it."

The golems each raised their shields, and I lowered my center of gravity slightly.

The sound of wet, slapping footsteps began to echo from the gently sloping path ahead.

The light from the LEDs mounted on the wall illuminated the forms of the approaching monsters.

Their build and skeleton were like that of human children. They were around 150 centimeters tall and ran with a somewhat bow-legged gait.

They wore no clothing, and their entire bodies were covered in coarse black fur. Only the palms of their hands and the soles of their feet showed red skin.

With glittering eyes and mouths lined with sharp teeth, they drooled as they brandished saws nearly as tall as they were.

'Kallikantzaros.'

A type of evil monster from Greek mythology. This monster, said to resemble it, bared its fangs at us and let out a monkey-like screech.

In response, I took a few steps forward. As expected, their target became me, and the leaping Kallikantzaroi swung their saws from either side.

But they were slow.

I caught their blades with my gauntleted hands and crushed them. With a hard, crunching sound, the blades shattered, and the monsters' eyes widened in shock.

Faster than their bodies could fall to the ground, I grabbed them by their jaws and held them dangling.

The Kallikantzaroi thrashed about. A normal human's neck would probably break, but these were monsters. A little bit tougher.

Their long claws scraped against my gauntlets, but didn't leave a single scratch. I turned around and casually held up my catches to the girls.

"Alright, let's do this."

"That's a pretty grim picture..."

Whatever.

Sure, it might look like I'm about to unilaterally slaughter animals that can't even put up a decent fight.

But monsters are monsters. They are beings that attack and kill people. They're the same as vermin, or even worse.

Honestly, after seeing dungeon breaks up close so many times, any feelings of guilt just vanish.

"If a bear or a boar that attacks people gets caught in a trap, it's dealt with accordingly. It's the same thing."

"No, I understand the logic and I agree with it, but... I'm a little worried that if you ever fell to the dark side, Kyou-chan-kun, you'd become a serial killer."

"That's a terrible thing to say."

And hurry up and do it already.

When I urged her with my eyes, Aira-san raised the sword.

"Namu Amida Butsu!"

It's really weird hearing a silver-haired half-elf say that.

Thanks to her stats and the sword's sharpness, the Kallikantzaros's body was cleanly sliced in two diagonally. The bottom half fell to the ground with a wet plop, scattering organs and blood.

"Oh, it cut so cleanly... that's kind of satisfying."

"Aren't you the more dangerous one here...?"

That was honestly a bit disturbing.

As my mouth twisted into a frown, Aira-san pouted.

"I know. I will eliminate as many distracting thoughts as possible."

"Yes. Please do."

"Now, for the other one!"

Aira-san swung the sword high and unleashed a diagonal slash with all her might.

Even to my eyes, her stance was awkward and her swordsmanship was pathetic. Her trajectory was naturally unstable, and the tip of the sword came close to hitting my fingers.

I moved my arm just a bit to dodge the blade. The sword easily tore through the Kallikantzaros's body.

"Ooh...! Could it be that I have a talent for swordsmanship?"

"Hahaha. Nice joke."

"Senpai. That's... probably not it."

"Damn it all."

Aira-san gritted her teeth at my dry laughter and Erina-san's look of pity.

I think if she's serious about fighting with a sword, she's going to need a lot of practice. She'd definitely cut off her own toes.

"Aira-san, from now on, let's stick to thrusts instead of slashes."

I dropped the Kallikantzaros corpses, which were starting to turn to salt, and picked up the dropped coins.

"Hmm. But won't I hit you then, Kyou-chan-kun?"

"The risk of hitting me is about the same either way, and my chestplate can deflect it. I'm more worried about you cutting off your own toes."

"...Could it be that my swordsmanship is really that bad? Not joking."

"Yes..."

"I see... I see..."

Aira-san looked down, appearing genuinely shocked.

Well, as she said herself, her true calling is desk work. She's not someone who makes a living by fighting.

"You know, it might be a good idea to just let Renge-chan handle the attacking."

"Erina-kun, is it really that bad..."

"Yep! Besides, when a golem defeats something, the person who activated it gets the experience points, so there's no downside!"

Being effectively told she wasn't combat material with a smile, Aira-san's shoulders slumped dejectedly.

"No, um. If two experts say so, I will follow..."

'Um... by the way, why did you choose this dungeon? I heard you went to a Lesser Treant dungeon for Busujima-san's level grinding.'

Mia-san spoke up through the earring, trying to change the subject.

While keeping an eye on our surroundings just in case, I went along with it.

"It's for 'acclimatization.'"

'Acclimatization?'

"Yes. Most monsters bleed when you cut them. I didn't want her to freak out over that when it really counts."

'I see. So that's why you had her hold a sword first.'

"Exactly. On top of that, the Kallikantzaros look pretty scary, so they're good practice in that sense too. The fact that their weapon is a saw is also good. It's a visually intimidating weapon, but its performance as a weapon is low."

It goes without saying, but a saw is a tool, not a weapon. Honestly, they'd be much better off using a sword.

Why the Kallikantzaroi carry them is unknown. The mythological Kallikantzaroi they're based on carry saws 'to cut down trees.'

One of their shared traits is that they can't count well, so if there are multiple identical objects, they can't attack. That's why the lights lined up on the wall are still intact.

Apparently, the Kallikantzaros's eyes are adapted to the dark, so their vision is poor in bright light. Or so it said on the store's website.

While few adventurers come here because of its appearance and the gore when you kill them, in terms of difficulty, it's one of the easier E-Rank dungeons.

"But the wounds from a saw would be a pain to stitch up!"

"If that happens, I'll use the medicine I borrowed from the professor, so don't worry."

"No, that's terrifying. I absolutely do not want to be cut with a saw."

The fact that Aira-san was properly scared was a good thing. Otherwise, it wouldn't be good practice.

"But Kyou-chan, if you wanted to get her used to a scary appearance, you could have gone to the dungeon you went to with Ā-chan and the others."

"Vetoed."

"Aww, why?"

"If we had gone there, I would have had to seriously reconsider my relationship with you, Erina-kun...!"

"Aww!!"

Don't 'aww' me. I'm still traumatized, damn it.

I remembered the feeling of grabbing a giant spider, holding it suspended in the air, the vibration of its legs wriggling, and I repeatedly clenched and unclenched my fists to try and forget.

On this matter, I was in complete agreement with Aira-san. I'm never going back to a dungeon like that again.

"Anyway. If she can get used to this, she should be able to fight goblins without any problem. As for traps, if we use [Appraisal] and other skills to deal with them, the promotion exam shouldn't be an issue."

"Hmm. I'll do my best..."

Aira-san seemed to show some motivation, albeit reluctantly, so I touched my own earring.

"Then let's resume the exploration. If you find a marker, please navigate for us."

'Yes! Leave it to me!'

Listening to Mia-san's cheerful voice, we continued our exploration.

After about an hour, we returned from the dungeon and checked out at the reception. Her level didn't go up, but I wanted to believe it was a good experience for Aira-san.

"Oh, by the way."

"Yes?"

On the bus ride home, Erina-san clapped her hands cheerfully.

She beamed at Aira-san, who still looked groggy.

"Since we're all here, let's open up those Tokyo souvenirs when we get back! You come too, Kyou-chan! It's a party to celebrate senpai's first dungeon conquest!"

"Huh...?"

"Ah... okay."

"Alright, let's have some fun! Let's buy some snacks and juice on the way! Don't tell grandma!"

"Ohhh, nooo..."

Aira-san, with no energy left to resist, could only let out a groan. Watching her from the side, I gave a noncommittal nod.

All I can say is, tough luck.