Before heading out, I visited Akizuki-san’s room with Nanami-san. The management office was on the second floor of the main building—though I could tell from the outside that there was a second floor, this was my first time going there.
“Akizuki-san, it’s Fujiwara. I’d like to talk a bit…”
“Ah… w-wait a moment, Hinano, I have to handle this. Huh? Why are you… Ah, I hung up.”
“…Akizuki-san?”
“Yes, yes, just a moment.”
The door opened, and Akizuki-san stepped out. She seemed a little flustered; perhaps she had been on the phone.
Not wanting to show the state of her room, Akizuki-san closed the door after coming out. Then she turned to us and smiled, just like usual.
“Is there something you want to discuss about today’s destination?”
“Ah, that’s exactly it. You’re as sharp as ever, Akizuki-san.”
“Hehe, well, you are Suigintou-san, after all. Oh my, Shiro-chan looks really cute today!”
“Uh… not really. Just regular clothes.”
Nanami-san’s casual outfit was a frilled blouse paired with a denim skirt, giving her a slightly mature look—perhaps the frills help downplay her ample chest.
“Even if you say that, Fujiwara-kun, your eyes are clearly admiring her.”
“What do you mean by that…? I mean, is my outfit okay? I’ve never thought much about my clothes.”
“…I think it looks fine, but I’d like to see what you wear outside.”
“Ah, that’s right… Choosing clothes for a boy is an experience I can only have at times like this. Should I help you pick out some autumn clothes?”
“Really? Oh, well, I appreciate that, Akizuki-san…”
“Come on, you can take me lightly. What I say doesn’t have to be taken seriously, okay?”
“…That’s what makes Fujiwara-kun…”
“That’s a good thing, right? Just like Shiro-chan, we share the same opinion.”
Akizuki-san hugged Nanami-san—though Nanami-san looked a bit troubled, she didn’t seem to genuinely dislike it, creating a warm atmosphere.
However, I had to wonder if I seemed too carefree from an outsider’s perspective—I needed to tighten my focus, or I might mistakenly think I was really on a date with Nanami-san.
“Anyway, let’s get back to the main topic… I’d like to appraise something I found in the dungeon yesterday. Is there a good place to bring it?”
“I can do ‘quality appraisal,’ but that’s for herbs or food. If you’re looking to appraise ores or equipment, it’s better to ask a specialist.”
“Do we have anyone in the lab who can appraise? Or is it just dolls that they specialize in?”
“…Ah. If that’s the case, I can introduce you. Earlier, someone I know contacted me saying they wanted to meet you. Her name is Himeno Itsutsujikimi, and she’s currently working in the research lab.”
Akizuki-san has an acquaintance in the research lab—if that’s the case, I might be able to get in touch with the person who posted my video through Ms. Itsutsujikimi.
“Since Fujiwara-kun is out today, I told her to arrange for another day, but she’s going to the branch in town, so if it works out, she wants to meet there… she can be a bit pushy sometimes.”
“Got it. I wanted to talk to someone at the lab anyway… I hope Nanami-san is okay with this.”
“I know her too, so it’s fine.”
“Shiro-chan has been going to the lab since she was little.”
“Does her wanting to meet me have something to do with dolls?”
“Yeah, you’ve been with the same doll twice now. I guess they’ve gathered some amazing data… it’s you, after all.”
“N-no… I’ve certainly had unexpected experiences, but…”
Could there be “amazing data” beyond just the recordings from my videos? Especially since I want to keep what happened in the second dungeon yesterday under wraps, I’ll need to ask Ms. Itsutsujikimi about that.
◆◇◆
Akizuki-san arranged for a car, and we arrived at the station front with her driving.
“I just got my license this spring, so I was a little nervous… how about you two? Were you okay?”
“We were completely fine. You didn’t seem unfamiliar with driving at all.”
“…Suigintou-senpai can do anything.”
“Hehe… but I shouldn’t get embarrassed. I have other matters to attend to, so please say hi to Hinano for me. She’ll probably come over tonight.”
“Got it. Nina, let’s walk from here.”
“I borrowed this hat, so it’s reducing the brightness of the light.”
For the “Dungeon Core,” it seems that the light from above is still blinding. There don’t seem to be any other negative effects from sunlight, but I need to keep a careful eye.
Akizuki-san’s car departed, leaving the rotary at the station. There were quite a few people coming and going—more specifically, many students from the academy.
“Ah… isn’t that Nanami-san from Class D?”
“Oh no, her casual clothes are too cute… Angels look good in anything.”
“Isn’t there another girl there who’s pretty cute too? Wait, is there even someone like that…?”
The boys’ attention was focused on Nanami-san and Nina—while I was chased around in the academy, it seemed I could go unnoticed outside.
“Over there is Fujiwara-kun… meeting him here means it’s fate that I should recruit him into the ninja club…!”
“Hey, Akane, stop saying things like that outside. And that old-fashioned way of speaking is banned too.”
“Oh no…! If you take away my ninja elements, I’m left with nothing!”
The girl from the ninja club—her name was definitely Akihara Akane, if I recall correctly. What a strange coincidence to run into her here.
“Fujiwara-kun, are you interested in the ninja club?”
“No, not really…”
“That’s good. If you join, I’d want to join too.”
“What exactly is a club?”
“A club is a gathering for extracurricular activities. There are various clubs for sports and cultural activities.”
“I see. I’d like to be in the same one as Tsukasa-san.”
“You can’t join a club unless you’re a student of the academy. But I’m glad to hear that from you.”
“…I’m happy. I’m interested in that feeling.”
Nina said that and gazed intently at my face—being stared at so earnestly made me feel uneasy.
“Nina, you shouldn’t look at people so closely.”
“Yes, I thought that might be the case too. When I stare at someone, an impulsive feeling arises within me.”
“Impulsive feelings… That sounds a bit concerning.”
“I think of actions like wanting to touch you or observing Tsukasa-san’s eyes.”
“…Fujiwara-kun, did you do something to make her get this attached? Was it something in the depths of the dungeon yesterday?”
“W-well, I don’t really know…”
I can only respond vaguely since I genuinely don’t understand it myself. Nanami-san seems to be trying to verify my true intentions, while Nina watches me with interest—both of them are too close for comfort.
“Both of you, please keep a proper distance…”
“Ah… I-I’m sorry.”
“I’ve realized that smelling Tsukasa-san calms my nervous system. At the same time, something impulsive…”
“Let’s try to keep that under control, okay?”
It’s a good thing Nina is being upfront about it, but I wonder if that impulse could become dangerous if left unchecked—if she calms down by getting used to being with me, then maybe I’ll only need to worry about it for now.
The place that Akizuki-san told me about was a building labeled “Explorer Support Agency D Laboratory Branch.”
“Are you Tsukasa Fujiwara? I have received a message from Itsutsuki about your appointment. Please take the elevator up and enter the reception room on B2,” the receptionist said.
“Thank you.”
I moved as instructed. The ten-story building housed other tenants, but it seemed that the entire underground area was occupied by the D Laboratory’s facilities.
Upon arriving at B2, there was a waiting area in front of the reception room. There, I spotted a woman in a bike suit, just finishing a phone call.
“Oh, it’s been a while. How have you been, Shiro-chan?”
“It’s been a while, Himeno-san. I’m glad to see you’re doing well too.”
“Wow… I didn’t think you’d say something like that. I thought you might not like me.”
“That’s not true…”
“Sorry, sorry, I know. I’ve heard that there have been a lot of changes thanks to you, Fujiwara-kun.”
Himeno-san had her hair tied back in a braid, likely to fit her helmet, and her bike suit was boldly opened at the front. Since there might not be any other men on this floor, I had to be careful not to stare directly.
“Himeno-san, you came here by bike, didn’t you?”
“Sorry, I just arrived and I’m still in this outfit.”
“No, I’m grateful that you took the time out of your busy schedule. I’m Tsukasa Fujiwara.”
After introducing myself, Himeno-san took off her gloves and extended her right hand towards me. When I shook her hand, she smiled brightly.
“I’m glad to meet you too, Fujiwara-kun. Not just me, but this little one too.”
“Eh…?”
Called by Himeno-san, a small automaton resembling a miniature Cipher emerged from the shadows.
“Master, good morning. Did you have a good Sunday?”
“Wait… you brought Cipher with you, Itsutsuki-san?”
“Yes, I brought him along. Since we’re finally meeting, I thought it would be a good time for a meeting.”
“That means we can communicate through this Cipher to the administrator. I really wanted to take you directly to the lab, but it takes some time to go through the proper procedures first.”
“I see… I’m sorry for causing you trouble.”
“…You’re really more courteous than I heard. Even I and Sumi feel like we want to return to active duty because you’ve made such eccentric achievements.”
“If you say that, it’s excellent…?”
“Eccentric means someone who’s unusual, you know—well, I guess that might not be entirely wrong from an objective point of view.”
“By the way, I heard you wanted to ask about the appraisal of the items found in the dungeon. It’s not good to chat in the hallway, so let’s go into the room. I’ll change quickly; sorry for making you wait.”
Led by Himeno-san, I entered the room—inside, there was a table for meetings and a large metal platform.
“What are we going to do here? There’s magical energy coming from that cupboard…”
“Beep! There are magical tools for appraisal inside. This is a room for bringing in materials from outside.”
“Fujiwara-kun, what did you find yesterday?”
“It’s not just what I picked up after defeating monsters, but when I went down to the deepest part, there were some rare ores and such. I thought I’d have you look at those.”
The small Cipher fluttered around but eventually landed on my shoulder. It seems that resting on me allows it to recharge its magical energy—Nina was staring at us intently.
“If you supply magical energy in my field of vision, then… that impulse…”
“…Isn’t that more about being hungry?”
“I worry about being out all day… For now, let’s recover.”
I had prepared a few “Small Magical Recovery” orbs, so I handed one to Nina—when she squeezed it, the orb’s effect activated.
“Mmm… my capacity has been filled. However, the taste of this magical energy is…”
“Sorry for the wait! Let’s get started with the appraisal.”
In the middle of Nina’s sentence, Himeno-san entered the room wearing a lab coat.
“Hm? How did you bring them?”
“Can I place them on this platform?”
Himeno-san seemed to think I didn’t have the items for appraisal—I felt I could trust her enough to show my skill since she had brought Cipher with her.
I took out a binder and lined up the chips I wanted to appraise on the platform. Himeno-san looked at me curiously, wondering what I was starting.
“—’Restoration.'”
“Wait… is that your skill… the rare technique of ‘Baggage Carrier’…?”
The items compressed into the chips instantly returned to their original size. Himeno-san couldn’t hide her astonishment, her eyes widening as she was left speechless.
