“Good morning, Kuro.”
“Good morning, Hotaru.”
When I arrive at school and sit down at my seat, Hotaru comes over to greet me. It’s hard to believe that just yesterday, she didn’t even recognize me as a classmate, yet today she acts so familiar.
“Can I stay here for a little while? My seat is a bit noisy.”
Hotaru says this apologetically.
“It’s fine… Ah, it’s Fujino, huh?”
I catch sight of the group causing the noise at the edge of my vision. At the center of it is Fujino, who has his school uniform in disarray.
“Hey, Fujino! Is it true you killed a beast-shaped monster?”
“It’s true. I split its belly in half with a great sword.”
“That’s amazing! With that, you might get a recommendation from the academy, right?”
The “academy” most likely refers to the school in the academy district. There’s a rumor that they recommend excellent student mercenaries for admission or transfer.
“Just so you know, I’ve already received a recommendation. Apparently, I’ve got the qualities of an excellent mercenary.”
Fujino’s conversation can be heard all the way across the classroom, even from where I’m sitting. It seems intentional, as he keeps glancing over here.
More specifically, he’s not looking at me, but at Hotaru, sending her heated glances. It seems he’s making all this noise to tell Hotaru about his “accomplishments.”
There are rumors that Hotaru is the daughter of a Yakuza, but she is so strikingly beautiful that she’s quite popular. Her dignified posture and cold eyes make her seem far older than a fellow classmate.
There’s also a rumor, though it’s unconfirmed, that Hotaru likes strong men. Maybe Fujino heard this and thought, “As a mercenary, I can win her over.”
Unfortunately for him, Hotaru isn’t just some random girl; she’s strong enough to take down golems, not just animal-shaped monsters.
I wonder what kind of monster Hotaru’s “strong man” refers to.
“Fujino.”
I turn toward the door at the sound of a voice. There stands our teacher, Nomura, radiating an intimidation more terrifying than any monster.
Her eyes, visible behind her glasses, burn fiercely.
“Come to the student guidance office at the start of lunch break.”
Nomura’s voice reaches Fujino, who answers with a disgruntled “Ugh” under his breath.
Fujino was bragging about dungeon monsters in front of Nomura, who hates dungeons. This isn’t just a lunchtime reprimand; he might be lectured all the way until after school.
Poor Fujino.
“Kuro, you’re having lunch today too, right?”
“I’ll happily eat.”
I leave the classroom with Hotaru and head toward the stairs by the rooftop, just like yesterday. We’re hurrying because we didn’t have much time left after cleaning up from our previous class.
Along the way, I spot Fujino walking with Nomura.
Fujino had supposedly run off in the middle of the fourth period to avoid student guidance, but now, here he is with Nomura. It seems his escape was in vain, and he’s been caught.
By the way, the reason Hotaru and I were late cleaning up was because of Fujino. We were supposed to be in a four-person group, but since two members were absent, it was just me and Fujino. And when it was time to clean up, Fujino ditched, leaving me alone. Hotaru helped me out as a result.
Fujino and I lock eyes.
“Ishiguro! You’re really—”
“Fujino.”
Fujino, who had been about to charge at me, stops at the sound of Nomura’s voice.
“Remember this.”
He glares at me with a sharp expression before walking away with Nomura.
I’m not sure what I’m supposed to remember, but if anyone should be remembering something, it’s me. I’ll get back at him for wasting my time.
“Kuro, are you close to that noisy person?”
In the middle of lunch, Hotaru casually asks. By the way, today’s lunch is omelette rice.
“Noisy person… You mean Fujino? I’m not close to him.”
Hotaru still seems uninterested in others. Like with me, she doesn’t even remember their names despite being classmates.
“I see. Then, I suppose I can eliminate him.”
That’s a bit scary. I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that.
“Oh, by the way, I have something to do today, so is it alright if I skip the dungeon?”
I quickly change the subject.
“Sure, that’s fine. But may I ask what it is?”
“Oh, it’s nothing important. Just some trivial errands.”
I can’t tell Hotaru yet.
“Cucumber, you can come out now.”
“Kyukyuu.”
I lower my school bag and pull out Cucumber. It wriggles out from the bag and, after a few moments of confusion, starts running around excitedly.
“You can run wild as much as you want here.”
Yes, the “errand” I mentioned is actually taking Cucumber for a walk. This morning, Cucumber seemed unusually tired, so I thought a walk might help.
Although, since Cucumber is a dragon, I can’t just take him to a park. Instead, I brought him to a quieter part of the dungeon.
While it’s possible other mercenaries might see Cucumber, I can just say it’s the effect of my “Tame” skill.
Mercenaries generally avoid too much contact, and in the dungeon, people are often on edge, so there’s a good chance no one will ask too many questions about the “Tame” skill.
“Cucumber, look, a slime. You can play with it.”
Cucumber jumps toward the slime and collides with it, sending the slime flying.
Even though it’s a juvenile, Cucumber is a dragon, so it’s no match for the local monsters.
“Huh, giving me a magic stone? Thanks.”
Cucumber brings a magic stone in its mouth. It looks like it’s for me.
“I’ll combine it with my slime spear.”
I turn the magic stone into magical energy and merge it with the slime spear inside my naginata. If I add a bit of my own magic, it’s done.
Slime magic stones aren’t worth much if sold. That’s why full-time mercenaries sometimes just toss them out to reduce their burden.
But when I find one, it feels like a lucky break. Even though slime magic stones are cheap, to me, they’re like precious gems.
“This makes exactly 30…”
I jot this down in my notebook. My pants, designed for dungeon use, have plenty of pockets, and I carry all sorts of things in them.
I also add a note: “No one to test the slime spear on.”
It’s become a habit to write down things I notice in my notebook.
“Cucumber, is it okay if we go a bit further?”
“Kyuu!”
In high spirits, Cucumber answers eagerly.
I’ve heard that monsters are more comfortable in areas with dense magical energy, and it seems that applies to Cucumber too.
And I’m also starting to adjust to the dungeon’s magical energy, so it feels more comfortable than before.
I head further into the dungeon’s darkness.
