Chapter 95 (Final Chapter) The Never-Ending Summer
“Fwaaah…”
I yawned as I walked alone through the first floor of the Private Dungeon.
Yesterday, I was up late LINKing with everyone, so I’m sleep-deprived.
Miiiin, minmin…
Jiiiiiiiiiiii…
The cicadas are as loud as ever.
Blue sky, large thunderheads, green trees.
Inside the dungeon, it’s midsummer as usual.
Walking through the middle of the rice paddies, I recalled yesterday’s LINK conversation.
Sasarabashi Shiho: Hey everyone, I have a proposal. How about we build a house that also serves as an Explorer office?
Tamaki: For the four of us?
Sasarabashi Shiho: Yep. We’ll probably be getting even more expensive items from now on, and I thought it’d be convenient to have it double as a storeroom.
Tamaki: (Stamp of a bear holding a sign that says “Agreed”)
Tamaki: We’re getting 50 million yen as a reward from the Yokohama Dungeon request, so it might be perfect timing!
Manami: I agree too! A place to call our own, at last…!
Manami: Just make sure the internet connection is top-notch.
Kouichi: Eh, a house and office… you mean we’ll all live together?
Sasarabashi Shiho: That’s right.
Tamaki: We’ll be cohabiting.
Tamaki: (Stamp of a bear blushing)
Kouichi: Is that okay? I mean, we only just started dating today.
Tamaki: Eh? But we’ve been together since we were kids, right?
Sasarabashi Shiho: We’ve even bathed together, you know.
Tamaki: Oh yeah, after playing in the river! So nostalgic!
“…”
They’re steadily closing in on me.
The kamikaze Otama-chan, the intellectual Shi-chan, and the strategist Manamin.
We, who have defeated numerous enemies with our teamwork, never imagined that same teamwork would be directed at me.
It’s true, we’re a really good team.
I don’t feel like I can win.
I’ll probably just be made happy like this.
“Uuumm…”
Thinking about proposing marriage in the future gives me a headache.
And it’s something I can’t discuss with anyone.
“What am I supposed to do…?”
Miiiin, minmin, miiiin…
Jiiiiiiiiiiii…
The cicadas are chirping carefreely.
As if to say, “Hang in there.”
The sky I looked up at was as endlessly vast as it was when I was little.
☆★☆
When I moved to the second floor of the Private Dungeon, fireworks were still going off, just like before.
The food stalls were also open, and the summer festival continued.
“This place is amazing too, huh…”
If you showed someone footage of this place, no one would think it was inside a dungeon.
I walked along the approach, heading for the shrine.
To see the place where I confessed to Otama-chan one more time.
After climbing the stone steps, the shrine was beyond the torii gate.
This is where I made an offering yesterday.
When I tossed in that gold coin, I never thought I’d end up with such a luxurious problem.
Truly, you never know what life has in store for you.
“Uuumm…”
Lost in thought, I went around to the back of the shrine.
Come to think of it, I caught a butterfly here before.
Since it became night, I wonder if that butterfly won’t appear anymore unless I use 《Day-Night Reversal》.
If that’s the case, I should have played around on the second floor a bit longer.
As I walked behind the shrine thinking about such things…
Clank! Clank!
“Hm…?”
There was a spot where my footsteps sounded different.
A metallic sound, and it seemed to be hollow inside.
“What’s this…? With 《Firefly Light》…”
I used the skill to illuminate the ground.
And there, I found something like a square manhole cover.
“…”
I grabbed the handle and opened the cover, revealing a hidden staircase leading down.
“This is…!”
–The third floor.
The second floor must have fully matured, so it was unlocked.
I didn’t hesitate.
Illuminating the way with my skill, I descended the stairs.
Clank, clank, clank…
In terms of a building, I probably went down about two stories.
There was a metal door.
It had the same sun-with-a-face decoration as the entrance to the Private Dungeon.
“…Alright.”
I took a deep breath and composed myself.
Then, I gripped the doorknob and clack, opened the door.
Intense light streamed in from the gap in the door–
“–Hk!”
…
Swoosh… Swoosh…
“Ah…”
As my eyes adjusted to the light, I looked around again.
“…The sea…”
A white sandy beach stretched out before me.
A beautiful, marine blue ocean.
Palm trees swaying in the wind.
A breeze carrying the scent of the tide…
When I stepped outside the door, I felt the scruff of sand underfoot.
Looking at my feet, a hermit crab was scurrying away from me at incredible speed.
I mean…
“I can catch that too, right…! Alright… Whoa!”
I hurriedly chased after it, but my feet got caught in the sand.
Scruff…!
I took a huge tumble.
“Ouch…”
My whole body was covered in sand.
The hermit crab had hidden somewhere.
In that pathetic state, I…
“Kuku… Ahahahahaha!”
For some reason, I burst out laughing.
…I remembered.
Lately, I’d been getting a lot of attention for being an S-Rank Explorer and all, but I’m inherently a clumsy person.
I wasn’t particularly talented, and I probably wouldn’t have made it this far without my childhood friends.
–Trying to do things perfectly from the start was a mistake.
I stood up from the sandy beach and brushed off the sand.
Looking out at the sea again, there was a bridge extending over the water, and on the small island at its end, I could see a red torii gate.
It must be the third floor’s shrine.
It somehow reminded me of Aoshima Shrine in Miyazaki Prefecture, which I’d seen on TV before.
I recall them saying that Aoshima Shrine was a classic honeymoon destination during the Showa era.
“Marriage, huh…”
I haven’t decided what conclusion I’ll reach yet, but I’ll face it head-on.
–Life is like exploring.
New difficulties attack one after another, and you never know what traps might be waiting.
But–
If you steadily move forward, you’ll eventually reach the next floor.
Together with your companions, you can become a new version of yourself.
That’s what I believe.
“Alright…”
I ran to the water’s edge.
This time, I didn’t fall.
Swoosh, swoosh…
The waves surged and receded, surged and receded, leaving their marks on the sand.
“I’m gonna do it–!”
I shouted at the sea for no particular reason.
A strange, passionate feeling welled up inside me, and I couldn’t stop it.
The sky was blue, and the sun was dazzling.
The season on the third floor was also summer.
The summer in the Private Dungeon continues.
Endlessly, endlessly.
And our summer, Team Secret Base’s summer, will also never end.
We’ll enjoy summer forever.
Next time, I’ll come here with all my childhood friends.
Otama-chan, Shi-chan, Manamin.
I’m sure they’ll each enjoy this place in their own way.
Thinking of the day I’d see everyone again, I turned my back to the sea.
――――――――――――――――
And with that, it’s complete!
Thank you so much for reading until the very end!
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It’s an isekai slow-life story, going straight for travel, gourmet food, and maids!!
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In an Isekai Where Sweets are Precious, the Reincarnated with Job【Pastry Master】Wants to Live a Carefree Traveling Life! ~Slow Life with a Maid Using the Skill of Sweets Creation!~
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818093093087879345