Episode 113: To Ibaraki
Leaving the company and arriving at the nearest station, Yuma showed his commuter pass to the station attendant, passed through the ticket gate, and headed for the exit.
“Ah~ I thought it would work out. In the end, isn’t the Chimera’s ability useless?”
Yuma looked at his left hand.
–I was expecting so much, but what a disappointment. It’s certainly amazing that I can transform into someone else, but it’s useless for Dungeon exploration. The only interesting thing is being able to turn into Mamezou.
As he grumbled, a voice called out from behind.
“Yuma! Long time no see.”
“Huh?”
Turning around, he saw his childhood friend, Kaede.
“Oh, yeah. It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Since high school graduation?”
“That’s right. Yuma, you never contact me! I only hear about you when I occasionally meet your aunt.”
Kaede, whom he hadn’t seen in months, had longer hair than before and looked even more mature. Since their homes were nearby, it wouldn’t be strange if they met more often… Did they just not have time to meet since they both became working adults?
Yuma coughed once, thinking about such things.
“I can’t contact you if I don’t know your number!”
“Ah~ that’s right. We all exchanged contact information on graduation day. But you went home early, Yuma.”
“Everyone… including Rui?”
“Yes, yes. I’m often in contact with Rui. Did you know? Rui is in Fukuoka now.”
“Heeh.”
Seeing Yuma’s uninterested reply, Kaede took out her phone.
“Yuma, let’s exchange numbers! There’s a LINE group too, so let’s join together. Here, take out your phone!”
“O-okay.”
Yuma took his phone out of his pocket as he was told and exchanged numbers with Kaede.
He hardly used LINE, but Yuma was relieved that he at least had an account.
The sun set, and the veil of night descended. Since their homes were in the same direction, they decided to walk home together for a while.
Kaede happily talked about her recent activities.
“And so, the medicines I prescribe are different from the usual ones. It’s hard to remember…”
“Are you okay? I heard you were working at a medical company, but isn’t what you’re doing the same as a hospital nurse?”
“Well, I’m not exactly a nurse, but it’s close to being a medical clerk. Even if you treat someone with Recovery Magic, it doesn’t cure all illnesses and injuries, so follow-up visits and medication are important.”
“But, if you’re an amazing Recovery Magic user, you can cure everything in one go, right?”
“That’s only for a few people! Messiahs with a Mana Index of over 2000, there are only a few in the world. There isn’t even one in Japan.”
“Is that so…”
–Mana Index 2000, huh… I could probably use 20,000 to 30,000 Mana without any problems, but I heard that White Magic Gems are extremely expensive and hard to get.
I’d like to use one if I could.
“What about you, Yuma? Is your work going well?”
“Ah, yeah, it’s so-so. The president and my colleagues are nice people… I think I’m doing well.”
“I see, that’s good.”
Yuma was momentarily captivated by Kaede’s carefree smile.
“Ah! That’s right. Rui said he’s going to Ibaraki soon.”
“Eh!? Ibaraki?”
Yuma was surprised by the sudden news.
“W-why Ibaraki?”
“There was some kind of trouble. So, Elceed Corporation’s Seekers are being called to the Red Dungeon in Ibaraki.”
“H-heeh.”
“Do you know about the Red Dungeon, Yuma?”
“W-well… I’m actually planning to go to Ibaraki tomorrow too.”
“Eh! Is that so?”
“It seems to be a request from the Dungeon Association, so I’m going with the president and others.”
“Ehh, amazing! So, you’ll be working with Rui! Doesn’t that get you excited?”
“U~m, well, I guess it does. Excited…”
When Yuma replied with a subtle expression, Kaede gasped and looked down.
“S-sorry. That’s right. Dealing with trouble means it’s dangerous work, doesn’t it? I said something insensitive… I’m sorry.”
Yuma hurriedly called out to Kaede, who seemed more dejected than he expected.
“No, it’s okay! I don’t know about Rui, but I’m in rear support, so there’s no particular danger. And Rui is a newbie, so he won’t be assigned to such dangerous work.”
“Do you think so… do you really think so?”
“Yeah, I’m sure of it!”
Kaede’s face brightened up and she breathed a sigh of relief, saying, “I see, that’s good.”
“Recently, there have been a lot of strange things happening with Dungeons, so I’m worried.”
“Hmm? Strange things?”
Yuma frowned, wondering what she was talking about.
“Yuma, don’t you know? Recently, there was news that the Black Dungeon in Yokohama was cleared.”
“Ah… that one.”
Yuma felt a jolt and broke out in a cold sweat.
“I don’t know who did it, but it’s really annoying!”
“A-ah… well, yeah…”
“Dungeons are shared resources for everyone, but to clear them and make them disappear!”
“Y-yeah… certainly.”
“I wonder what kind of people cleared it? Don’t you think they’re really selfish?”
“U… I think so, I think so. I wonder what kind of guys they are…”
Listening to Kaede’s indignation, Yuma stared at the sky with distant eyes.
After walking together for a while, they arrived at the fork in the road near their homes.
“Well, say hello to Rui for me tomorrow.”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll send you a LINE message, so reply properly!”
“I got it.”
After parting with Kaede, Yuma looked up at the night sky on his way home.
“He’s coming too. To Ibaraki… to the Red Dungeon.”
–Rui, how much have you grown? I’ve become stronger. I can confidently meet you now.
Yuma smiled slightly and headed home with a light step.
◇◇◇
The next morning–
At the entrance of an office building directly above the Green Dungeon in Fukuoka, Rui, Yoshioka, and the members of the Exterminator were present.
“You haven’t forgotten anything, have you?”
“No, sir.”
Rui, who had packed two large briefcases into the trunk of the hired car, faced Yoshioka and the others who had come to see him off.
“Thank you for everything, Yoshioka-san. I learned a lot.”
“No, no, I didn’t teach you much. You’ve grown beyond our expectations. I’m looking forward to your future success.”
“Thank you very much.”
The driver opened the rear door. He was urging Rui to get in.
“I’m sorry, Rui. We specialize in Wind Magic. We’re too incompatible with the fire-based Red Dungeon. It’s a shame we can’t go with you.”
“No, not at all. You’ve helped me enough so far. I’ll just use what I’ve learned here!”
“I’m glad to hear you say that. Be careful.”
“Yes!”
Rui bowed and got into the car. Looking out the window, he saw the members of the Exterminator cheering him on with words of encouragement and giving him a thumbs up.
Feeling happy, Rui returned their smiles.
“My first job at the Red Dungeon… I wonder how far my abilities will go.”
The hired car carrying Rui started driving towards Fukuoka Airport.
◇◇◇
“Hey, did you load everything?”
“Yes, it’s all good.”
Yuma gave Kanzaki, who was sticking his head out of the driver’s seat, an OK sign. He got into the car with Tanaka and slammed the door shut.
“Well then, Maika, I’m off.”
“Okay, be careful.”
Maika, who was seeing them off outside the car, looked worriedly at Kanzaki and the others.
“What’s with that gloomy face! It’s okay, it’s not such a dangerous job. We’ll be back in two or three days, no problem.”
Kanzaki put a cigarette in his mouth and grinned.
“…I see. And, go easy on the cigarettes.”
“Yeah, I got it.”
The car carrying Kanzaki, Yuma, and Tanaka set off for Ibaraki.