The time was 4 a.m., at the mountain dungeon reception area—currently, I was the only one here. To be precise, I was the only adventurer here. If you came at 9 a.m. or so, the chances of encountering other adventurers would increase. But in the early morning, hardly anyone shows up. Well, that’s different if you’re in a bustling city, I suppose.
However, there are some people you just can’t avoid. Even from late at night to early morning, there’s always one staff member manning the reception desk. After all, if there weren’t, people might sneak into the dungeon without permission. It’s a reasonable precaution.
Here’s the issue: the staff member on duty wasn’t Budo-san. It was Tomokaze-san, the young female staffer who started working here about a year ago. I’ve been coming to this mountain dungeon for years, so I’ve exchanged a few words with her before… but this is the first time since becoming an elf. Budo-san assured me, “I’ve informed the staff, so don’t worry about it,” so I think it’ll be fine. Alright then, courage, man! I marched confidently toward the reception desk.
“Hello there!”
“Hello! You’re Kihara Joji-san, right? Or should I call you George?”
“Ngghh!”
This woman! She casually brought up my streamer name like it was nothing?! I tried to keep my composure, but a strange sound escaped me.
Seeing my reaction, Tomokaze-san smiled brightly, clearly amused.
“You don’t need to be so defensive. I wouldn’t cause a fuss or expose you on Twitter or anything. That would be the worst—getting fired from this well-paying job.”
“Well, I appreciate you saying that. But, uh, you do realize I’m an elf, right?”
“Yes, indeed. If I weren’t a staff member, I’d honestly ask for a picture with you!”
Oh no. Her eyes sparkled, and her body fidgeted with excitement—she was reacting like someone meeting their idol. So, I’ve become a celebrity, huh? Doesn’t really feel real to me.
Setting aside my lack of realization, I pulled out my A-card from my pocket and handed it to her.
“Could you pack in five healing potions, three antidotes, and about ten firecrackers for me?”
“Sure thing! That’s unusual, though. You’re not the adventuring type, so you rarely use those. Did you find that hidden area you mentioned on your stream?”
As she inserted the A-card into the reader and operated the computer, she casually dropped a bombshell. Wait, she’s watching my streams?!
“You’ve seen my streams?!”
“I started watching after the whole elf incident. So, did you find the hidden area?”
“N-no, no way! I’ve been exploring this dungeon for years; there’s no way I’d find something new now! I just figured I’d stock up, you know?”
Having someone I know talk directly about my streams is incredibly embarrassing. For now, I’ll keep quiet about the hidden area. You never know where leaks might come from. Once I’ve investigated it thoroughly, I’ll decide whether to talk about it.
“Alright, all set. Payment by direct debit, correct?”
“Yep, thanks.”
I checked the returned A-card to confirm that the requested items were included.
Now, it’s time to head to the hidden area!
“Ah, wait! Before you go, I’ve got a quick question!”
“…What is it?”
Darn, she stopped me. I’d rather get going quickly, but it wouldn’t be smart to give a bad impression by refusing. Let’s hear what she has to say.
“George-san, you’re wearing proper underwear… right? You received some women’s underwear from Wadou-senpai, didn’t you? I picked those out, you know?”
“Ah.”
Right, during that test with Tsubugane-sensei, Budo-san handed me a paper bag while I was outside. He looked oddly embarrassed when giving it to me. When I checked inside the bag, there were several types of women’s underwear.
I figured Budo-san didn’t choose them himself, but so Tomokaze-san had a hand in it. Ah, yes… the underwear…
“I’m wearing some. Yep, I’ve got a sports bra on.”
“A sports bra, huh? What about the bottom?”
“Uh, well, I’m still wearing my old boxers…”
“Alright! I’ll give you credit for wearing the sports bra—good job!”
“Th-thank you.”
“But you should wear proper women’s underwear for the bottom too! They’re designed with functionality in mind!”
She scolded me with such intensity, it felt like horns had grown from her head. I couldn’t do anything but nod like a broken doll. But, man, wearing women’s underwear still feels a bit…
“Are we clear on this?”
“Yes, ma’am!”
What am I even doing this early in the morning? Still, if I don’t go along with her, she won’t be satisfied.
Oh well! At the end of the day, nobody’s going to know what underwear I’m wearing. Tomorrow, I’ll just wear boxers again.
“If you think you can get away with wearing whatever just because it’s hidden, that’s a no-go!”
Does she have telepathy or something?
“I found it, I found it! My bear trap!”
After surviving Tomokaze-san’s pressure, I entered the mountain dungeon and went straight to the spot where I’d left a bear trap as a marker yesterday. I retrieved the still-open trap. If it had caught something, that would’ve been nice, but life isn’t that easy.
More importantly, the hidden area. There’s a slight chance it might have disappeared… A tinge of anxiety crossed my mind. I reached out the same way as yesterday—and there it was. The invisible curtain!
I flung it open and stepped inside. Wait, what am I doing?! That was careless of me!
Panicked, I scanned my surroundings. It was the same as yesterday—a grassy plain with a lake and a giant tree standing quietly. There was nowhere for a monster bigger than a rabbit to hide. Maybe in the lake or behind the tree?
“Should I see this as lucky since there are no monsters, or unlucky because someone else might’ve cleaned this place out? Which is it…?”
Keeping low and moving as silently as possible, I crept toward the giant tree. For some reason, I felt like I had to go there. Wait, why do I feel that way?
Questioning my own thoughts, my feet kept moving. Step by step, I drew closer until I finally reached the tree. No obstacles. I touched the thick trunk—goal.
…Yep, goal. I circled the tree. Nothing there! The lake? Just some fish swimming around. Cute little things! Should’ve brought a fishing rod.
Wait, really? Nothing here? Just a peaceful view? What kind of hidden area is this?
“Seriously?! What was all my effort for…?”
I sighed deeply, slumping my shoulders. I’d prepared so much—researched, stocked up on healing potions, and even bought firecrackers to escape monsters. Should I just be glad I didn’t need to use them?
Something tapped my left shoulder—once, twice. Did I brush against a branch? Whatever, I ignored it.
“Would this make for stream content? Feels like I’d just get a ton of mocking comments, though…”
The tapping on my left shoulder came again. Ugh, what now? But wait—was there a branch at shoulder height?
I turned to look—and for the first time in this supposedly empty place, I met eyes with someone.
“—♪”
It was a tiny humanoid figure, about the size of a 350ml can, glowing faintly like a firefly. Transparent wings flapped gently, and it was stark naked. It smiled warmly at me.
Wait, is this… a fairy?
