The dungeon exploration and demon lord subjugation are progressing smoothly.
Especially the remarkable actions of my overly enthusiastic cousin, Natsuki , who is supposed to be a backline healer referred to as the Saint, but for some reason, she’s been dominating the front lines. However, everything is going according to plan.
At first, I was taken aback by her momentum, along with Haruto , but thanks to Natsuki ‘s reckless behavior, our level grinding has been going very well.
As a result, we’ve cleared three high-level dungeons, and our levels have surpassed 180.
The demon lord hidden deep within the dungeon kindly answered Natsuki ‘s question—though as part of the Hero Party, she couldn’t admit it was an interrogation—without hesitation.
We were able to gather information from the demon side, and Natsuki swiftly defeated the demon lord who tried to escape, so our original objective has been completed.
We have reclaimed the fortress occupied by the demons, and morale on the human side is at its peak.
“…except for Natsuki ’s mood.”
“Ah… even though she’s my sister, she’s a real handful, huh?”
Haruto and I secretly mutter to each other.
While we smile and face the people who revere and admire us, Natsuki has been venting her frustration on dungeon monsters and demon lords.
Her momentum is so overwhelming that even Haruto , her older brother, can’t help but be taken aback.
“We need to meet up with Tohma soon, or who knows what Natsuki will do when she blows up…”
It’s no surprise that I look down coldly at Haruto , who is groaning and clutching his head.
He’s her real brother, so he should be able to handle Natsuki somehow.
Well, it’s clear that even Haruto can’t rein her in, so I have no choice but to watch from the sidelines.
“Tohma , as sharp as he usually is, is dense when it comes to things like this.”
Natsuki is strong-willed, but she is a model student who hates anything crooked. She’s serious and caring, and as a result, she’s well-liked by those around her.
Despite her mature appearance, she has a fierce personality inside. In fact, her pure nature makes it even worse.
“The only one who can calm Natsuki down is Tohma . Since we’re already on a journey to level up and hunt demon lords, should we go look for Tohma too?”
Haruto ’s suggestion is tempting, but I shake my head.
“No, we can’t. With where we are right now, we still can’t protect Tohma . If we start traveling together and the demons target us, what are we supposed to do?”
“…Right. The demons, and if the Church or the people from the country of Shirane find out, we’d be taken hostage.”
“I’m also worried about the movements of the Empire.”
As summoned heroes, if all we had to do was defeat enemies, it wouldn’t be this hard.
If only the Creator God, Kesaran Pasaran, had summoned us to a better country.
“For now, let’s contact Tohma individually. Tell him not to provoke Natsuki too much.”
Looking down at my smartphone, both Haruto and I sighed simultaneously.
Tohma , who had decided to travel the world for information-gathering, sent regular updates.
The hero app with the Creator God’s seal was full of messages and photos of people he had met during his travels.
“The first world’s black panther beastkin siblings were so cute!”
“Tohma was totally stuck to that little girl, but Natsuki was glaring at her with dead eyes.”
“Their mom was beautiful too.”
“Natsuki was so mad when they took a two-shot picture.”
“Also, those tiger beastkin girls had such a strong presence. Their figures were amazing!”
“They were surrounded by older women, and Natsuki was furious about it…”
That was incredibly terrifying.
While Haruto found it amusing, I was more concerned about Natsuki shaking next to me. I couldn’t even focus on the pictures.
“Why, of all people, is Tohma taking pictures with only female beastkin? And why is he sending them to us?”
“Well, you see. It’s like this. In the feline beastkin village, it seemed like only the elderly and children were there, so it’s understandable. This is a two-shot with an elder, a lion beastkin. Cool, right?”
The reason he sent us those images was casually explained by Tohma himself.
He said he thought it might make Akimi happy!
“I do love cats. I adore them. But beastkin with cat ears are a different thing, right?!”
“I actually like them quite a bit. Cat ears are cute, and their tails are sexy.”
I ended up smacking Haruto in the back of the head. What a fool.
Noticing the murderous aura swirling, I hurriedly distanced myself from the situation.
“…Did you just say cat ears are cute?”
“Gah, Natsuki ! No, no! It’s not what you think! I was talking about Tohma ’s familiar cat being cute…”
“Sexy tails, huh?”
“Ah…”
The ominous sound of the atmosphere thickening was palpable, and I quietly averted my gaze from my cousin, who was sending a murderous glare my way.
There would be no mercy for the cousin who walked right into that landmine.
“You brought this upon yourself. Go get scolded by Natsuki , Haruto .”
“That’s cruel, Akimi! You’re so cold!”
“I just like cats, not beastkin with cat ears, unlike you.”
“See, that’s it! Men are the worst! What’s all this ‘kemo mimi’ stuff?! Pervert!”
It’s rude to interfere with a sibling quarrel.
I silently took a step back to avoid getting involved.
“Well, at least she’ll be able to blow off some steam. I’ll leave them to it.”
Though Natsuki has become strong enough to fight on the front lines, her specialties are the bow and naginata.
When it comes to physical combat, Haruto is overwhelmingly stronger.
As punishment for his light-hearted teasing, Haruto would probably take a hit or two, but he’ll dodge and move on, as always.
“I’m glad we’re in a dungeon. If she went wild for real, she’d destroy an entire town.”
Right now, we are in the middle of clearing the fourth high-level dungeon. If we complete this, hitting level 200 will no longer be a dream.
Tohma told me that the Creator God had fallen asleep, so the evil dragon wouldn’t move for a while. But the demon’s underhanded movements can’t be ignored.
“To weaken the demon’s power, we should focus on reclaiming the occupied territories for now…”
I’ve heard that not only human castles and fortresses but also small towns have been occupied by demons.
By taking down the demon lords at the commander level, we can weaken the evil dragon’s power to some extent.
Once we reclaim the land, we can get a reward from the kingdom, so it’s a win-win. We’ve made a lot of money from dungeon exploration, but you can never have too much money.
“Hm? A message from Tohma ?”
A ringtone echoes from my smartphone.
Haruto and Natsuki stop in their tracks, hurriedly pulling their phones out of their item boxes.
In moments like these, they’re just like siblings.
‘A little treat for the brave heroes who are working hard.’
Overjoyed by the long-awaited message, we tapped our item boxes to check the list.
“New convenience store sweets! Choco pudding and rich custard cream puffs!”
“Oh! There’s more than just sweets! There’s a beef tongue bento from a famous shop! Huge special! Yes!”
Just moments ago, they were engaged in a fierce battle, but now they are joyfully chattering like different people.
“Hmm, it looks like there’s also a new hot snack? Cheese meat buns and curry chicken…”
I, too, am weak to convenience store new products. It’s just the way I was raised.
Lately, I’ve been trying to cook more while in the dungeon, but nothing beats the taste of Japanese convenience store products.
“Rich custard cream, it melts…”
“Beef tongue is the best! Can’t get that in this world…”
“The cheese meat bun is also really good. This is a win!”
When we’re eating something delicious, the fighting stops!
Tohma often declared this.
When a group of kids gathered, there were always small squabbles, but Tohma would intervene with snacks.
(I remember that when we had snacks, we’d forget about the fights. Kids are simple, huh?)
Right now, the two in front of me are smiling and sharing their treats with each other.
Of course, I also got my share.
“Hmm, these are definitely both delicious.”
“The cheese meat buns are great too!”
Natsuki , for the first time in a while, showed a smile.
She was happy not just because of the delicious sweets but also because of the treat from Tohma .
I had secretly sent Tohma a message asking for more pictures of landscapes and buildings rather than people, so Natsuki ’s anger should subside soon.
(Please don’t send any pictures with elven girls, Tohma ! Don’t you dare…)
Before the evil dragon shows up, I hope the world doesn’t end because of Natsuki ’s fury.
I made sure to ask him that very carefully.
