After leaving the student council room, I stepped outside from the entrance hall. While walking towards the academy’s north gate, some students noticed me, but no one came rushing at me this time.
“I’m glad everyone’s calmed down.”
“Really. For a moment, I wasn’t sure what would happen.”
“…But since I ended up in first place, it seems like I’ll still draw some attention.”
“Maybe someone will challenge you to a duel out of the blue… though that doesn’t affect the ranking, does it?”
“The ‘Duel’ system exists. It’s more like a match than a real duel.”
“Even with that format, it’s meant to evaluate students’ abilities, right? Doesn’t it seem harsh for professions that aren’t combat-oriented?”
“Explorers all dive into dungeons, so even if you’re not a swordsman or mage, you need combat skills. There are people in non-combat roles who rank pretty high.”
Nanami-san seems to know a lot about the academy—though it might be more that I know too little. Just listening to her is quite educational.
“We’ll have matches eventually, so it might be good to start preparing… for both of us, Fujiwara-kun.”
“Yeah, we should be ready. By the way, how do you fight, Nanami-san?”
“…I’ll show you later. After all, you showed me, Fujiwara-kun.”
“Thanks, I’m looking forward to it. Though, if you’d rather not reveal your hand to me, I can wait.”
“I want you to see it, Fujiwara-kun. I don’t really show others.”
It almost sounds like it could be interpreted in a different way… or perhaps it’s more that I really don’t want her to show others. My thoughts are wandering too much.
“…Huh?”
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know, I felt like someone was watching… My hunches are usually right.”
“…I hope it’s nothing bad.”
Though I had a bad feeling, I decided not to dwell on it so as not to worry Nanami-san. Fortunately, the sensation of being watched disappeared by the time we left the academy grounds.
◆◇◆
When I returned to the dorm, Akizuki-san was enthusiastically preparing dinner. She had added a fish dish to the menu with the extra silver coins we had, balancing meat and fish for better nutrition.
“You’re paying attention to protein intake, Tsukasa-kun. Are you a fan of muscle training?”
“Not really. I just figured, since we’re close to the sea, the seafood must be good.”
“There’s plenty of regular seafood, but there’s also the ‘Cove Dungeon.’ If it’s not a monster, I’d love for everyone to try the shrimp from there…”
“I was hesitant at first, but after nearly dying during fall of our first year, I’m mentally prepared to eat monster meat. Watch out for monsters that make you hungry—they’re dangerous.”
“I still remember the face you made when you ate the ‘eringi.’ By the way, ‘eringi’ is what we call a mushroom monster.”
“Mushrooms aren’t so bad compared to other monsters… but I wouldn’t eat them willingly, especially the poisonous ones. I’ve heard of serious accidents from that.”
“…I’ll prepare myself too. You can use electrolysis to break down slimes for hydration.”
“Ah, a scientific approach. I like it.”
“…Even now, I can’t quite believe it. That video, it really was you, wasn’t it? The gap between the person in the video and you in front of me is just too much.”
Akizuki-san was in high spirits, likely because she had heard about my rise in the rankings. Apparently, both Kashiwa-senpai and Amagi-senpai knew as well, though their reactions differed significantly.
In the morning, Akizuki-san had scolded me for not telling her what happened in the dungeon, but I was glad she seemed to have cheered up—maybe even too much.
“Well, the fact you’ve surpassed me means… I guess it’s okay to bring you along to the dungeon, even though you’re just a first-year.”
“But whether Tsukasa-kun will listen to Eirisa-chan is another matter.”
“Hey! Why are you siding with Fujiwara instead of me… Kashiwa-san, you shouldn’t spoil Fujiwara too much, no matter how talented he is. Seriously… are you a genius or something?”
“Ahaha, looks like Eirisa-chan’s true feelings are slipping out.”
“Shut up! And Kashiwa-san, stop showing off your overflowing chest with your jacket wide open!”
“I can’t close it anymore, but don’t worry, Tsukasa-kun, I won’t act indecent in front of you.”
“You two… perhaps you should refrain from such conversations in front of younger students.”
Amagi-senpai is the conscience of this dorm, I’ve realized—just like Nanami-san. She seems to prefer being a listener in most situations.
“Uh, please don’t mind me. I prefer it when everyone just talks as they normally would.”
“Tsukasa-kun… for such a good boy to possess such technique, it seems the gods truly watch over you.”
“Technique? Wait, Kashiwa-san, is that really something you should be saying right now?”
“I meant it in a technical sense. What were you imagining, Eirisa-chan? Want to share with your big sister?”
“Grr… I’m so mad at myself for falling into such a basic trap…”
“A junior’s techniques… now that is intriguing… Ah, no, I always think purely wholesome thoughts, unlike these two.”
“What are you even saying… Stop glaring at me like that, you’re making my heart race!”
“Eirisa-chan may seem tough, but she’s really sweet. Be nice to her, Tsukasa-kun.”
“Well… if you insist, I guess I could let you be my assistant. No, wait! I’m sorry! I just want to be friends as fellow dorm residents!”
“Hahaha…”
“I’m glad we’ve gotten along.”
Thanks to Nanami-san’s mediation, dinner went on peacefully afterward.
Still, Akizuki-san’s comment about the gods watching over me might actually be true—after all, the goddess herself might be keeping an eye on me from time to time.
◆◇◆
After dinner, I waited two hours for my turn to take a bath and finally managed to finish my bath without incident.
I returned to my room to prepare for tomorrow. Since it’s Friday, once it’s over, I’ll have the weekend to rest—though many students at our academy apparently come in on Saturdays too.
“(Well, time for bed…)”
I turned off the lights and got into bed. On a whim, I checked out that video again on my phone. The initial buzz had died down, but one of the reuploaded videos had reached 30 million views.
The S-Channel video was now the most viewed after maintenance. The uploader was listed as ‘No. 9.’
(No. 9… Ninth? What does that mean?)
Looking at the comments, some had identified me as the person in the video, and others were curious about the identity of the uploader. But no one seemed to have an answer.
I figured there would be opinions like this, but among the comments, I found these:
“It was just luck that this monster appeared, and if he skyrockets in the rankings because of it, that’s just too lucky.”
“No way a baggage carrier can use a skill like that. Maybe he’s in another profession.”
Some responses argued, “It’s amazing that he was able to handle such a monster by chance,” or, “Most people wouldn’t be able to fight even if it did appear.” The debate seemed evenly split.
“I’ll have to keep proving myself from now on.”
I was about to close the comments when one caught my eye:
“I’m grateful that this person is at the same academy.”
“Even if just once in these three years, I’d love to explore with them.”
— Even without the old man, there were always plenty of replacements for baggage carriers.
— You’ve reached your limit, haven’t you? If you just say the word, we can let you go anytime.
‘Beck’ didn’t feel like his teammates truly needed him.
Everyone at the academy had seen the video, causing the commotion today—and many had invited me to join their clubs.
But among all the invitations, I realized that the offer to explore together made me the happiest.
“(Alright, let’s give it my all tomorrow… huh?)”
“—Meow.”
Just as I was about to fall asleep, I heard a cat’s voice.
Now that I think about it, I hadn’t seen Rin since coming back.
“(What the… I’m so sleepy… what is… happening…)”
Suddenly, sleep overtook me. It felt unnatural, as if it wasn’t just from being tired—but before I could think more, I drifted off into unconsciousness.
