Episode 47: Physical Examination
After that, tests that made Yuma wonder if he was undergoing a full medical checkup continued, including blood pressure, electrocardiogram, height, weight, and urine tests.
Yuma’s eyes widened when he was finally led to a room.
“This is…”
There was a large-scale mechanical device. The igloo-shaped device had layers of wires and duct pipes connected to it.
All the mechanical parts were exposed, and it didn’t look like a genuine product at all.
Aisha operated a computer connected to the device with cables, and the front hatch opened upwards. Inside was a chair for one person to sit in.
“First, sit in that chair.”
“W-What is this?”
When Yuma asked hesitantly, Aisha snorted.
“It’s a Mana Index Meter that I made. Its accuracy is different from anything else out there. It displays the index in units of 0.0001, and it can measure even the slightest differences in electromagnetic waves. It might even tell us why your Mana isn’t increasing.”
“O-Okay…”
Yuma shifted his gaze to the device. It certainly had a similar atmosphere to the Mana Measurement Device in the Blue Dungeon, but…
This was something made by an individual. He was worried about whether it was safe to enter.
“Is this… safe? It looks kind of scary.”
“It’s fine. I, a genius, made it. It’s still a prototype, but it’s the safest and most high-performance Mana Measurement Device out there. It’s a patent-pending item. You can enter with confidence!”
Yuma sent a look to the president, who had followed him from behind. Noticing the look, the president gave a thumbs up and looked at Yuma with an expression that said, “Well, do your best.”
–He’s definitely thinking about this irresponsibly!
He felt uneasy, but he couldn’t refuse, so Yuma reluctantly entered the device.
With an ominous whooshing sound, the hatch closed. From outside, he heard Aisha’s voice saying, “Stay still.”
Sitting there nervously, sounds that stirred up fear, such as whirring and thudding, echoed deep within his eardrums.
Lights flickered, and even alarm-like sounds went off.
Cold sweat beaded on his forehead. After about five minutes, the lights and sounds stopped, and the hatch opened automatically when the device completely stopped.
“Alright! You can come out.”
Yuma stepped outside and breathed a sigh of relief.
“When will the results from that device be available?”
When the president asked, Aisha shook her head playfully.
“It’s still a prototype, so it won’t be available right away. I’ll send it with the other test results by email. Is that okay?”
“Yeah, that’s fine as long as we can figure out why Yuma’s Mana isn’t increasing.”
As the president opened the door to leave, Aisha called out as if it were an afterthought.
“Oh, and the schedule for the next exploration will be out soon too. I’ll send that along with it.”
The president said, “Okay,” and left the room. Yuma also thanked Aisha, bowed his head, and followed after the president.
◇◇◇
“Well, that was quite the eccentric person,” Yuma said as he got into the car.
“Well, yeah. I’ve known her for a long time, but she’s definitely someone you could call an oddball,” the president said.
If the president was saying it, it must be true, Yuma thought with a smile in his heart.
“That being said, her abilities as a biologist are certain. We can leave it to her without worry.”
“Yes.”
–It seems he trusts Aisha-san. I see, I understand Tanaka-san’s feelings about not knowing whether they have a good or bad relationship.
“I’m thinking of going to the Red Dungeon in Ibaraki tomorrow. Yuma, you come with us!”
“Eh!? Is that okay?”
“Yeah, I was originally planning to take you after you could use Water Magic, but we’re still investigating that.”
“Won’t I just be a burden?”
“Hahahaha, Tanaka and I aren’t amateurs. It doesn’t matter if there’s one observer. Besides, we’re not going to the deep layers.”
“I understand. I’ll learn from it!”
“Alright!”
The president started the engine and backed the car out while checking the mirrors. He steered the car out of the narrow passage, then stepped on the accelerator and left the factory.
◇◇◇
The next morning, Yuma was riding in the president’s Jeep Wrangler, heading towards the Red Dungeon in Ibaraki.
Maika was in the passenger seat. Yuma and Tanaka were in the back seat, the entire D-Minor team heading out.
They headed north on the Joban Expressway and entered Tsukuba City. They would soon arrive at Ishioka City, where their destination dungeon was located.
“Yuma-kun, I made a bento for you today. Look forward to lunch,” Maika, who was sitting in the passenger seat, turned around and said cheerfully.
“Yes, thank you very much! Maika-san, are you going into the dungeon too?”
“Yeah, well, I’m a Seeker too, after all. I can’t go too deep, but I can somehow provide support in the shallow layers.”
The president, who was holding the steering wheel, joined the conversation.
“Maika can use Water Magic, so she’s much more of a fighting force than Yuma is right now. She’s here today as Yuma’s bodyguard.”
“Eh!? My bodyguard?”
As a man, it was a rather tough thing to hear.
“Oh, it’s not that big of a deal. I often enter the dungeon with the support of the president and Tanaka-san, so today isn’t anything special.”
Maika denied it with a smile, but it was true that Yuma couldn’t use magic and was useless. In an emergency, he could at least protect himself with Metallization, but he couldn’t use it in front of people.
While they were talking about that, their destination came into view in the distance.
“That’s…”