In the end, the day after that incident, a short apology message was sent from Nishimura-san’s number, and since then, there hasn’t been any contact. Ryoka-san is probably doing her best in the dungeon. There’s been no word of her return yet.
“Ryoka-san… I hope she’s okay…”
I muttered to myself in the now-spacious room.
It was 4 a.m., the same time Ryoka-san had ventured into the dungeon a week ago. Unable to sleep, I stared at the hands of the clock, lost in thought. What kind of place is a dungeon, anyway?
I’ve heard that there are plants there capable of curing diseases that modern medicine cannot treat, incredibly delicious creatures that seem out of this world, and even underground minerals and energy resources. A dreamlike treasure trove forbidden to men—that’s the dungeon.
Not long ago, a company president descended to the lower levels with a large entourage of guards, but only the president returned, as a corpse.
“There’s no way I’d ever want to go there.”
In this world, a man’s role is probably limited to providing experience points for women.
As I mulled over these thoughts, the door to my room began rattling and banging loudly.
“Tatsuya! Tatsuya! Are you there!?”
“Whoa, what the heck!?”
Startled by the sudden voice, I jumped up and rushed to open the door. Standing there was a battered and bruised Ryoka-san. Her uniform was torn at the shoulder and stomach, revealing large cuts beneath. One of her bra straps was snapped, and her skirt was barely holding together, with a deep slit exposing her pale thighs. She had lost her shoes somewhere, and her feet were bare and scraped. Cuts adorned her cheeks, forehead, arms, and legs, making her look painfully injured, yet her eyes sparkled with determination.
Ryoka-san reached into her rucksack and thrust something in front of my face.
“Look! Look at this!”
“Is that…?”
What she held in her hand was a soft, golden fruit that seemed to glow—the famed Golden Peach.
“That’s right! A Golden Peach! I finally found it! Hurry, let’s go to the hospital!”
“Go? Right now?”
“Of course! What if we’re too late after finding it? Come on, let’s go!”
Overwhelmed by her urgency, I hurriedly slipped on my shoes over my loungewear, only to be grabbed and pulled along.
“Move it! Hurry, run!”
“Wait, isn’t the hospital pretty far!?”
“It’s fine, I’ll drag you if I have to!”
“Drag me? But—”
“Ugh, you’re too slow!”
Frustrated, Ryoka-san scratched her head in exasperation, then suddenly lifted me into a princess carry.
“Whoa! What are you doing!?”
“Don’t bite your tongue!”
“Wait, you’re not seriously—ahhhh!!”
Still holding me, Ryoka-san dashed forward with astonishing speed.
At last, we arrived at the emergency entrance of a large hospital. Only then did Ryoka-san set me down. It felt great to have my feet on the ground again.
While I staggered from the ordeal, Ryoka-san approached the night receptionist’s window, where a yawning security guard sat. Upon seeing Ryoka-san, he widened his eyes in shock.
“What happened!? This isn’t the entrance for emergency patients! I’ll call someone immediately!”
Anyone would mistake her for a critical patient, given her tattered appearance.
“No, no! I’m here to see my mom! I’m Naruse Kanako’s daughter from Room 507! She’s in critical condition—I came as fast as I could. Please, let me in!”
“This is serious! I’ll open it right away!”
The security guard pressed a button, and the automatic doors slid open. Ryoka-san slipped through with me following close behind.
“Who’s the boy?” the guard asked.
“My little brother!”
Wait, since when am I her little brother? The security guard didn’t question it and simply nodded.
“Make sure to cheer your mom on!”
With the guard’s kind words behind us, we raced through the hospital. Even waiting for the elevator was too frustrating for Ryoka-san, who bounded up the stairs two at a time. I barely managed to keep up as we reached the hospital room.
Inside the dimly lit room, a woman lay in bed, wearing an oxygen mask. Her breathing was shallow, and her eyes were barely open. Her frail body looked as if her breathing might stop at any moment—but she was still alive.
This must be Ryoka-san’s mother, Kanako-san.
“……”
For a moment, Ryoka-san simply gazed at her mother, then took the Golden Peach from her bag. She removed Kanako-san’s oxygen mask and squeezed the fruit, letting its juice drip into her mother’s mouth.
Though unconscious, Kanako-san’s throat moved, swallowing the juice.
“Mom… please…”
For five minutes, a heavy silence filled the room, broken only by the sound of the heart monitor and Kanako-san’s faint breaths.
Suddenly, the beeping from the monitor quickened. The sound grew more rapid, as if urging us on. The numbers on the screen began climbing—from the 40s to 60, 70, 80…
“Wh-what’s going on!? Is this okay!?”
“I-I don’t know! Mom! Mom, are you okay!?”
Panicking, Ryoka-san shook her mother’s body. Neither of us knew anything about medicine. I pressed the nurse call button in desperation.
A short response—”We’ll be there immediately”—came through before the line disconnected.
“Mom! Mom! Stay with me! Mom!”
Kanako-san groaned weakly, her face twisted in pain. Ryoka-san clung to her, shaking her.
Three minutes later, a female doctor and several nurses burst into the room.
“What on earth are you doing!?”
“Doctor, my mom, my mom!”
Ryoka-san clutched at the doctor’s white coat, crying out in desperation.
“She’s suffering! Please save her! Save my mom!”
“Calm down! Let go!”
The doctor tried to pull Ryoka-san off, but she was no match for Ryoka-san’s newfound strength.
The doctor’s gaze shifted to Kanako-san—her removed oxygen mask, her moist lips, the remnants of a crushed fruit…
“You didn’t…”
“My mom’s going to die! I can’t let her die! No, nooo!”
The doctor slapped Ryoka-san’s cheek sharply, the sound ringing through the room. Startled, Ryoka-san froze, her body trembling as the doctor embraced her tightly.
“You must be her daughter, Ryoka-san, right? Calm down. It’s okay. Just breathe and look at your mother.”
The doctor gently turned Ryoka-san toward the bed.
There, Kanako-san was sitting up.
“……Mom?”
“Good morning, Kanako…”
“Mom… Mom! MOM!”
Ryoka-san stumbled forward and collapsed into her mother’s lap, sobbing uncontrollably.
“Mom, you’re alive! Waaah! I’m so glad! So glad!!”
Kanako-san gently stroked her daughter’s hair as she cried on her lap.
It seemed the Golden Peach had arrived in time.
