Dungeon Start Heroine Tamer and Training Mission! ~Lately, there’s been a lot of talk about strong, cute, and beautiful female adventurers… All of them are my followers!
“Oh, Saionji! I can already see a mission.”
I pointed to the side of Saionji’s face to show her.
One of the [Taming Skills] of the [Hero Tamer].
It’s a [Training Mission].
“Haa, haa… Eh, a mission?”
Still recovering from being restrained, Saionji asked while catching her breath in an alluring way. The sight of her bound by chains was already enticing, but this was equally seductive.
“Saionji, there’s a screen with the menu and rewards written on it, just to your left… Can’t you see it?”
“Umm, sorry. What? Where is it?”
As instructed, Saionji quickly turned her face to the left. However, her eyes didn’t focus on the semi-transparent screen that should have been right in front of her.
Perhaps misinterpreting the direction she was told, she anxiously shifted her gaze to the right. But there was no screen there to begin with.
“…Can’t you see it?”
Apparently, the mission screen was visible only to me.
“Sorry. Umm, is there some kind of screen?”
Having given up on searching, Saionji asked apologetically about what she couldn’t see. Well, I guess I could just tell her what I saw.
I informed her that the mission screen was next to her. Upon learning that completing it would increase her status values, Saionji’s expression immediately lit up with excitement.
“Re-Really!? Aren’t those all strength training exercises that Amasaki -kun mentioned? — I’ll do it! Please let me do it, Coach Amasaki !”
Saionji’s somewhat exaggerated line. This was typical of the cheerful Saionji often seen in class.
“Who’s the coach, who’s the coach?”
When I made a light-hearted retort, she smiled happily. It wasn’t just her cute appearance; these friendly traits were probably why Saionji was so popular.
“Hehe, sorry. But I’ll actually try it! First, squats — 1! 2! 3!…”
True to her word, Saionji started doing the exercises I had listed right in front of me.
[Training Mission]
●Daily Mission
20 push-ups, 20 sit-ups, 20 back extensions, 20 squats Reward: HP +1, Strength +1
Push-ups 0/20 Sit-ups 0/20 Back extensions 0/20 Squats 5/20
There was movement in the content of the mission screen to Saionji’s left. Each time she completed a squat, the mission progress counter actually increased.
“Good job, Saionji! The mission progress is properly synchronized.”
“Really!? Alright ――”
Encouraged, Saionji increased her pace. Along with that, the two fruits confined within her armor bounced up and down.
Whoa… Impressive.
“——17, 18, 19, 20!!”
Within minutes, Saionji finished her 20 squats. Her breathing was already becoming erratic, but she seemed refreshed by the sense of accomplishment from completing the required number of repetitions.
[Training Mission]
●Daily Mission
20 push-ups, 20 sit-ups, 20 back extensions, 20 squats Reward: HP +1, Strength +1
Push-ups 11/20 Sit-ups 0/20 Back extensions 0/20 Squats 20/20 Completed
“Haa, haa… Ugh”
Without taking a break, Saionji moved on to the next exercise, push-ups. However, unlike squats, she hit her limit at the 12th repetition.
Her arms, clad in gloves reaching above her elbows, trembled. Unable to lift her upper body, she collapsed flat onto the floor.
“Uu~ I didn’t make it to 20…”
“Ahh, don’t worry about it.”
While comforting her, I carefully monitored the mission screen. One thing I was concerned about was whether the count would reset. For now, it remained at “11/20” which was how far she had progressed.
“O-okay! Let me try again —”
After a short rest, Saionji resumed her push-ups. Here too, the count didn’t reset, correctly showing “12/20”.
This meant the mission didn’t need to be completed all at once; taking breaks was fine.
Upon telling her this, perhaps relieved that there was no rush, Saionji patiently continued her strength training at her own pace without overexerting herself.
“――18, 19, 20!!”
And finally, she completed the last set of sit-ups.
[Training Mission]
●Daily Mission
20 push-ups, 20 sit-ups, 20 back extensions, 20 squats Reward: HP +1, Strength +1
Push-ups 20/20 Completed Sit-ups 20/20 Completed Back extensions 20/20 Completed Squats 20/20 Completed
◆ ◆ ◆ ◆
“Ah――”
In the sit-up position with knees bent into a triangle, Saionji’s body suddenly began to glow. Even through her thin clothes, her abdomen faintly shimmered, and the glow spread across her entire body.
“S-so amazing! Amasaki -kun, I understood it too! I’ve just cleared the mission, right ―― Wah!?”
Overcome with excitement, Saionji reflexively tried to stand up abruptly. However, having completed hard strength training sets for her, her fatigued body couldn’t keep up, causing her to fall backward.
“Ouch…”
And that…
During her workout, despite being somewhat mindful, her short skirt inadvertently revealed quite a bit…
“………”
Of course, yes, I am a gentleman? I swiftly averted my gaze, yes.
Pure white cloth?
…That’s an unfamiliar concept to me.
“A-ahaha. I fell. Um ――”
After standing up and blushing with embarrassment, Saionji hastily fixed her gaze in the air. She was probably trying to hide her embarrassment, but that gesture… was similar to when she looked at her status.
And I too.
Without using a status paper, I could view Saionji’s status screen. Apparently, taming her granted me the ability to view my follower’s status.
[Status] ●Basic Information
Name: Saionji Hikari Age: 17 years old Gender: Female Job: None Master-Servant Relationship: Master – Amazaki Hayato New!
●Ability Values
Lv.1 HP: 5/5 → 6/6 New! MP: 1/1 Strength: 0 → 1 New! Endurance: 1 Magic Power: 0 Magic Resistance: 2 Agility: 2 Dexterity: 4
◆ ◆ ◆ ◆
Her status had been properly updated from the status paper Saionji showed me earlier. Due to our taming relationship and the reward from the [Training Mission], both “HP” and “Strength” had increased by 1.
Without entering a dungeon and within less than an hour, increasing status values by a total of 2 was a significant achievement.
“Ah… My stats really went up. Ughh ――”
Demonstrating the gravity of the situation, tears slowly welled up in Saionji’s eyes and spilled over.
Eh ――
“Are, are you okay!?”
With no experience calming a crying member of the opposite sex, I just flailed awkwardly on the spot.
Particularly, Saionji always struck me as a strong-willed girl, albeit somewhat absent-minded. Of course, I’d never seen her cry at school, so the shock left my body frozen.
“Mm, mm… Thank you, Amasaki -kun, thank you. Until now, no matter what I did, my stats wouldn’t go up ――”
Despite breaking into sobs, Saionji managed to put words together to convey her gratitude. I pieced them together in my mind.
In short…
As an adventurer, Saionji had clearly been suffering greatly from her perceived lack of talent. She had tried various efforts, but without results. On the verge of giving up, she happened to find my recruitment notice by chance.
The dungeon.
A place where everyone has the potential to carve out their life with their own hands.
A jackpot. A one-shot reversal.
Everyone has heard stories of adventurers who became millionaires.
However, the brighter the light, the darker the shadow it casts. Behind a handful of successful individuals lie countless ordinary adventurers.
“Giving up wasn’t the answer. Asking Amasaki -kun to tame me was the right choice ――”
Saionji wore an expression filled with gratitude, feeling that her struggles had finally paid off.
――But.
Deliberately, I shook my head in response.
“No, Saionji. This isn’t the end by a long shot.”
“Eh? Ah, Kyaa ――”
A bewildered Saionji.
Grabbing her shoulders, I earnestly explained.
“This is just the beginning. From here on out, Saionji will get stronger and defeat monsters. You’ll earn a lot for us. Just as you need me, I need you too.”
Because it affects my income.
If “I receive 20% of the rewards Saionji earns in the dungeon,” then the more Saionji earns, the more my profit increases.
But conversely, this means:
If Saionji doesn’t make any money in the dungeon, I won’t get any either.
In other words.
For my future life of effortless income, Saionji and her growth are essential.
“………”
Despite my passionate speech, there was no reaction from Saionji.
She appeared to be looking at me, but her focus was elsewhere. Perhaps due to the adrenaline from crying, her face seemed slightly red.
“Ah ――”
Suddenly snapping back to her senses, she abruptly turned her face away from me. Huh, harsh!?
“Um, Amasaki -kun. Your, um, face is too close.”
Her voice was almost inaudible, barely a whisper.
My ears somehow managed to catch it.
“Ah, no, sorry…”
I hurriedly removed my hand from her shoulder and stepped back to create distance between us. If this didn’t work, I had no other tricks up my sleeve…
And so, true to my loner nature, I continued to fidget nervously on the spot.
“…Hehe.”
But for some reason, seeing me like that, Saionji chuckled softly.
Did my movements look clownish?
“No, it’s nothing… I’m really glad that it was you, Amasaki -kun, who tamed me. I look forward to working with you, Amasaki -kun.”
Smiling as she said that, Saionji appeared…
Somehow, more charming than ever before.
