Side: Shou Amanohashi
A few days have passed since the decisive battle with the Demon Lord…
Today, I’m attending classes at school as usual.
After living through days where everything changed so rapidly, where survival was uncertain from one day to the next, I’ve finally returned to my normal life.
It’s what I had always wished for—to return to my original world and live an ordinary life.
However, to be honest, after spending over three years doing nothing but moving my body as a hero, I’m having trouble focusing in class.
Should I really be going to school like this? Back then, I went to high school without giving it any thought, just like everyone else.
In that other world, I grew tired of fighting. Yet now that I’m back, I keep wondering how I’m supposed to live my life from here on out.
Maybe I’m just seeking something that’s missing from my current life.
Next up is PE.
“Ugh, marathon day, seriously?”
When the PE teacher announced what we’d be doing, the boys in the class visibly grimaced.
But it’s just running around the schoolyard. Under the teacher’s instructions, everyone began jogging, albeit sluggishly.
I checked to make sure my magic items were still suppressing my skills and physical abilities, then followed suit.
Ugh, my body feels heavy. The sensation is the same as when I fought the Demon Lord, so it’s shocking to realize how hard it is to move when I actually try running.
I need to get used to this again, or I’m going to struggle with everyday life.
In that other world, my physical abilities would improve every time I defeated a monster, raising my level. Of course, basic training also helped increase levels, so I did some of that at first.
It’s been a long time since I last ran as part of any kind of training.
“Stop! Everyone, hold your position!!”
I’m not sure how long we had been running when the teacher’s voice made everyone stop.
Apparently, there was another earthquake. Fortunately, just like the last one, it was mild enough not to cause panic.
But… there’s this rumbling sound. Should I disable my skill suppression and activate my danger sense skill? No, it’s not necessary. It’s not like there are any monsters around.
I waited, assuming it would subside soon.
“Hey! Look at that!!”
A panicked voice from one of my classmates made me look around. A crack had formed in the ground in one part of the schoolyard, and it was spreading. Worse, a few people, including Horii-san, were right in the middle of it.
Instinctively, my body moved. It must be thanks to my experience as a hero. I grabbed Horii-san’s hand and pulled her to safety, nearly dragging her as I ran.
“You all need to get out of here too!”
I only grabbed her because she was right at the center of the crack, the most dangerous spot. The others nearby also started moving once I shouted at them, scattering in all directions.
“Ahhh!”
“What’s happening?!”
But the crack spread unnaturally. The next ones in danger were Kitamura and Aizawa-san!
Damn, I don’t have time to disable the magic item suppressing my powers.
There are things you can and can’t do. Do what you can first. That’s what I learned in the other world.
For now, I have to get Horii-san and myself to safety. As we ran, the ground beneath us started to glow ominously.
“What the hell is this?!”
I don’t know whose voice that was, but I was thinking the same thing. I could feel some kind of magical power, but I really wanted to believe I was imagining it.
No good! The crack is widening faster than we can run. Why is this happening with just a mild earthquake!?
“Horii-san, hurry!”
Crap! The next moment, both Horii-san and I were swallowed by the widening crack, slipping down into the earth.
“Ahhhhh!!!”
I heard Horii-san scream as we slid down, almost like going down a giant slide, until we finally stopped. Thankfully, we were both in our PE clothes. If Horii-san had been wearing her school uniform, especially her skirt, things would have been a lot worse.
I immediately looked up to see if we could climb back out, but the crack we fell through had mysteriously sealed itself.
What… is this?
Around us was a path, wide enough for cars to pass each other, or rather, a cave extending in both directions. Even though no sunlight was shining in, it wasn’t dark. There were torches at regular intervals, burning brightly.
No way…
“What’s happening?” Horii-san asked.
“Well, we fell through a crack caused by the earthquake…”
Her voice snapped me out of my thoughts. Thanks to the way we slid down, it seemed we hadn’t been injured.
Though I tried to feign ignorance, this scene was oddly familiar. It looked just like the dungeons I’d explored multiple times in that other world.
It has to be a coincidence. Right? Well, whatever it is, we need to get out of here first.
“What should we do? Wait here for someone to come help us?”
I could get out on my own, but Horii-san… This isn’t a situation with any clear precedent, so I can’t say for sure what the best course of action is. If she doesn’t want to move, we probably shouldn’t force it.
“Hey! Is anyone there?!”
While Horii-san was contemplating, I heard a voice calling from nearby. It was Kitamura. I saw him fall into the crack earlier, so there’s no mistaking it.
“Kitamura?!”
“Amanohashi, is that you?!”
He’s close. Sounds like he’s heading our way.
I should probably disable my skill suppression before he arrives. I just need to touch the magic item and focus…
“What are you doing?” Horii-san asked, bringing me back to the moment.
As soon as I disabled the skill suppression, my danger sense skill activated. It also seemed my presence detection skill kicked in, letting me sense the area around us.
As expected, Kitamura and someone else were running toward us.
“Ah, just thinking about what might be going on.”
I tried to stay calm. Fortunately, Kitamura and one other person were the only people nearby, aside from… a faint presence that felt like a very weak enemy.
Almost like the first floor of a beginner-level dungeon.
“Oh! Amanohashi and Horii-san are over here!”
“Horii-san!”
The person with Kitamura was Aizawa-san, one of our classmates. She was known for being a track star and had a slim, athletic build that looked the part.
“Glad to see you’re both okay, Kitamura-kun, Aizawa-san.”
Having more people around must have been reassuring. Both Horii-san and Aizawa-san visibly relaxed. To be honest, I had only exchanged greetings with Horii-san before, but I guess the presence of more girls makes them feel safer.
“What the heck is this place?!”
Kitamura, on the other hand, was starting to get a little worked up. It was probably his first time experiencing something like this.
In the other world, I had skills like mapping that were useful in dungeons, but I don’t have that here. My danger sense and presence detection will have to do.
“Let’s get out of here. What if there’s another earthquake and it’s dangerous?” Aizawa-san urged.
“Hold on, what is this place anyway? Is it some kind of underground facility beneath the school? There are even torches down here.”
Now that the immediate danger had passed, Kitamura and Aizawa-san started discussing the situation. It seemed they were close enough friends to bounce ideas off each other.
The reason no one was panicking might be that the brick walls and floor looked man-made.
“I’ve heard there’s a storage basement, but there shouldn’t be any ancient underground facilities like this. And what’s with these torches…?”
Horii-san seemed to be curious, too. She had a strong intellectual curiosity and was intrigued by the strangeness of the situation.
But yeah, this place definitely feels off.
What is this? Could it really be a dungeon?
The torches definitely have a magical feel to them. They resemble the ones in dungeons from the other world, the kind that never go out.
If that’s the case, the faint reactions my danger sense and presence detection skills are picking up must be… monsters?
“For now, how about we try to get outside?”
I need to stay focused. If I lose sight of our priorities, things could get dangerous.
Whatever this place is, it’s definitely strange. And we’re only in our PE clothes and sneakers. I shouldn’t disable the restrictions on my abilities just yet. If I show my full strength, people might start seeing me as a monster.
Even if this is a dungeon, I can handle it with my experience and skills as a hero. I can get us out of here, even if there are monsters.
Right now, the most important thing is getting my classmates out of this dungeon-like place safely.
