A large rise was located a bit away from the underground river, and everyone was taking shelter beyond it.
“It’s good that there aren’t many monsters on land… but…”
“…Kushun!”
“My clothes got wet, so I need to dry them, or I’ll lose body heat.”
“The current temperature is 15 degrees. The thermography shows that everyone’s body surface temperature is dropping.”
“Since we have a portable stove, should we boil some water for warmth? Drying the clothes… seems like it will take time if we just hang them up.”
“Taking off clothes in a cave requires quite a bit of courage, even if no one is watching. And even if you do take them off, there’s the question of what to do afterward.”
I didn’t expect that the items we brought would come in handy in a situation like this—our tent could serve as a makeshift changing room.
“Um, I brought a tent. I don’t think setting it up will take too long, so should we dry our clothes here?”
“A tent? Where did you bring that from?”
“Oh… did you shrink it using that skill? I heard tents are sold in shops, but they seemed pretty pricey…”
“I thought it would be good to prepare in case we entered a dungeon, so I stopped by before coming here. Luckily, I was able to scrape together some funds on the spot.”
“…I might be able to help with drying the clothes.”
“Oh, that would be helpful. If that’s the case, it looks like we can make this a short break… then I’ll get the tent out right away.”
《Tip: Uncompressing camping gear for a six-person party》
The camping gear set, including the tent parts and chairs, was designed to minimize setup time compared to tents from other worlds—kudos to the research and expertise of those who came before us.
“I practice setting up tents in class, but not many people bring them into underground dungeons. Even in outdoor dungeons, sometimes there’s no one to carry it.”
“When you think about it, the ‘baggage carriers’ actually contribute a lot, don’t they? I wonder why the alliance classifies them as ‘Rank E’…”
“I think it’s because they prioritize combat and unique abilities. Fujiwara-kun is special.”
“Hehe… I like that, Nanami-san. I should learn from your purity.”
“‘Special’ can mean a lot of things; your unpredictable behavior is also ‘special,’ Onee-sama.”
These sisters seem to have a relationship where they can speak their minds without holding back—I find that a little enviable.
“Even if you say being a ‘baggage carrier’ allows you to shrink items, I doubt people will believe it. Fujiwara-kun is a special, special existence.”
“Uh, um… isn’t this turning into flattery? Anyway, I’ll set up the tent now.”
“We’ll help too. Um, is there a manual?”
“Here it is. First, let’s spread out the inner tent…”
Nanami-san and Futaba-san moved briskly—‘Beck’ was nearly setting up the tent alone, so I felt inexplicably moved.
“Beep! This time, we don’t have construction equipment, so I’ll conduct a reconnaissance of the area.”
“Oh, be careful. Let me know immediately if you encounter any monsters.”
“What should I do? If you don’t mind, Fujiwara-kun, please tell me.”
Yohka-san came over and asked—I couldn’t afford to get too emotional.
“Yes, Nanami-san and the others are working on that support pole, so please extend the other pole. Would you like to do it with me? Once it’s extended, pass it through that hole…”
“…Pass it through the hole… is this okay?”
This was the process of passing the support pole through the sleeve to support the inner tent, but since it was Yohka-san’s first time, I stayed nearby to guide her.
(…What is this feeling…? As I get closer to Yohka-san…)
It’s nice to cooperate in setting up, but it feels like I’m forgetting something—just as I remembered, Futaba-san seemed to do the same, and we exchanged glances.
“Um, Onee-sama, we’ll set up the tent, so please rest over there. You did an amazing job earlier.”
“Is that so? In that case, I’ll take you up on that. Fujiwara-kun, I’ll just pass this hole through…”
“Y-yes… just push it in like that…”
My head had been feeling fuzzy for a while—could this be related to what Futaba-san warned about? She had said not to get too close to Yohka-san, but I had unwittingly done just that.
“Hah… once it gets to this point, there’s nothing I can do about it.”
“…What do you mean?”
“N-no… I’m just glad Nanami-san is here; it’s comforting to talk to you.”
“Fujiwara-kun, I feel the same; talking to you is reassuring. You don’t have to be too cautious.”
“No, I’ve realized you’re gentle like a herbivorous animal, so I’m not on guard. Though, your face changes during battles…”
“Haha… I’m a little worried about what kind of face I’m making myself.”
While talking, we continued to work on setting up the tent—there were places where the ground was too hard to drive the pegs in, so we decided to use ‘Fix’ there.
“I did it… Wow, this is a really authentic tent.”
“…It seems we could stay for a night without any problems.”
“Next, I need to wash the clothes, and we’ll need water to wash our bodies. Just the bottled water won’t be enough…”
I restored the compressed chips from four PET bottles and handed them to Nanami and the others. This should be enough to wipe our bodies, but it’s insufficient for washing clothes—I’ll need to save another four bottles as emergency drinking water.
“…Ah, right. Cipher, is there a clean water source nearby?”
I asked Cipher, who had just returned from reconnaissance. Since it’s a dungeon full of water sources, I couldn’t completely rule out the possibility.
“Beep! There is a spring in that direction. It needs boiling for drinking, but it’s sufficient for washing.”
In that case, we can use that water to wash our clothes—I was about to say something when Futaba brought Yoka over, and the three of them entered the tent, closing the zipper at the entrance.
After waiting for a while, the zipper of the tent opened slightly, and the clothes the three were wearing were handed out.
“P-please take care of this… I’m sorry for being such a burden at a time like this…”
“What’s wrong? Your voice sounds weak. Did you get injured in the earlier fight?”
“I think my body is… okay, but I’m feeling sleepy…”
“…I’ve been getting sleepier ever since I got wrapped up in the squid’s tentacles.”
“…I understand. I’ll leave my sleeping bag here, so try to rest with it. I’ll keep watch until everyone wakes up.”
“Okay… I’m sorry, but… yawww…”
“Hah… Fujiwara-kun, please be careful…”
It seems they were fighting an overwhelming urge to sleep, as I could no longer hear their voices. I slid the restored sleeping bag through the gap in the open zipper and headed towards the location of the spring Cipher mentioned—I was relieved we managed to defeat the squid, but we were losing quite a bit of time because of its leftovers.
◆◇◆
“Hah…”
Since there was a pole for hanging clothes among the camping gear, I hung up all the washed clothes.
Nanami had mentioned having a method for drying clothes, but she was likely going to use her skill. Now that she was asleep, I had no choice but to wait until she woke up.
“…Cipher, that squid, or rather the ‘Mimic Squid’ seems to be a monster. Is its sleep poison harmless apart from making one drowsy?”
“Beep! That giant creature is an unregistered monster, but the detected components are of existing substances. The sleep poison only induces sleep, just like paralysis poison.”
“In that case, I don’t have to worry. I need to prepare for status ailments properly… Several challenges have emerged for the future.”
“Master, I will keep watch, so please take a break for a while.”
“Okay… I understand, then I’ll rest for just a bit.”
I set up my tent after confirming that there were no monsters nearby again. It took less than five minutes to finish, given the size.
I entered the tent but didn’t crawl into the sleeping bag; instead, I sat down on the ground. Thanks to choosing a spot with minimal bumps, it seemed like I could rest my body well.
(…What should I do once everyone wakes up… Should we try crossing that river, or look for the magic circle for retreating? Given the situation, the latter seems better…)
As Yoka said, I wasn’t sure if we could transfer back to the 9th layer again. It felt like it would leave me with regrets if we didn’t do everything we could before escaping.
(…Huh?)
I was trying to stay aware of my surroundings. Even in the tent, I was prepared to exit immediately if monsters appeared—but then,
“Fujiwara-kun.”
“…What?!”
Suddenly, I was hugged from behind. The one wrapping her arms around my neck was—unbelievably—Yoka.
“W-what’s wrong, Yoka? You were supposed to be in the other tent…”
“Futaba must have warned you, right? Not to approach me after I neutralized the poison.”
“…Yes, she did say that. But she also said not to ask about the circumstances…”
The hands that came around to my front traced my chest. It was not a teasing touch; rather, it was—at the very least—an affectionate caress.
“The ‘Secret Seal of Alchemy’ doesn’t simply neutralize and eliminate poison…”
“W-wait… Yoka’s body…”
“Hehe… You don’t need to worry. It doesn’t endanger my life, at least not in that way.”
“Then what do you mean…?”
“It changes the components of the poison into something that doesn’t threaten life… ‘Alchemy’ means transforming the poison in my body into something else. For example…”
A sensation like something bursting in my head. I felt as if sparks were scattering before my eyes—something soft was touching my neck.
“…C-could it be… that ‘something else’ is a ‘aphrodisiac’ or something…?”
“Yep… that’s exactly it. The side effects of the ‘Secret Seal of Alchemy’ are mild in comparison to this.”
“E-even if it’s mild, it’s full of problems for me…”
“…I won’t let you escape. You have to take responsibility for this… for keeping something so important from me.”
What could this important thing be? I couldn’t pinpoint it, but this situation was far too dangerous.
Yet, despite her words, Yoka was hugging me without any strength in her arms. I could easily turn around—and then,
“…I’ll keep it a secret from Nanami.”
Normally, I would laugh off her joke and let it end there, but—
Yoka’s eyes captured mine, not allowing me to escape. She stepped into my tent, illuminated by the dim light, revealing her completely unclothed form.
